Alternate Worlds
by gb452
Summary: For as long as Joel can remember, he can transform into a miscoloured Latios, and he has lived in a world without Pokémon. When a young and adventurous Latias accidentally finds him, his life will change forever, and will lead him on a journey that will change his future and bring his past back. Contains swearing.
1. Chapter 1: Prolouge

_Run. Don't stop now, Joel._

The heavy thud of his pursuer's footsteps echoed through the tunnel. Joel must have been running from them for at least half an hour. He had no idea what they wanted from him, only that they were armed with batswas and who knows what else. The only though in Joel's mind was to escape. When he saw that there was no-one around him, he transformed. A flash of light surrounded him, and left floating there was a silver and blue dragon. It quickly dissapeared, and flew off towards the city.

For as long as Joel could remember, he had the ability to transform into some kind of monster. He didn't know who his parents were, so he had been fostered at a young age. He had no friends in school, worried that he would let down his guard. He had never had a girlfriend, never had a kiss (excluding his foster parents) and he had failed his grades at the end of school. As a result, he had run away from everything when he was seventeen. That was 8 years ago. He was now 25, and had been on the wrong side of many people's minds for a long time. Numerous close calls and sightings of his 'true form' as he called it, had led to a legend of a blue and silver beast roaming the skies near the city he stayed in. However, he didn't know that his life was about to turn for the better...

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**Hey guys. I hope you enjoyed the prologue to my first story!**

**If you have time, please leave a review!**

**I will update regularly!**


	2. Chapter 2: Meeting on a balcony

Latias had, once again, left the Secret Garden against the will of her brother, Latios. She had, in fact, flown to the human "world", a part of the earth where Pokémon died out long ago. The only reason that one side had never got to the other was... well, no one was sure. There was supposedly some kind of barrier that humans couldn't cross. Latias enjoyed in in the human world, particularly the things they called 'motor racing' and 'theme parks'. She had never actually been able to go and visit any of them in her human form, an identical copy of her best friend Bianca, as the human world had many different currencies like Pounds, Dollars, Euros and Yen. Latias had no idea how to get them, so she just flew in, invisible, and watched. At the moment she was in a place that used 'Pounds'. She liked it here, as it was nice and cool, albeit it rained a lot. She had been walking around a big city for some time, enjoying the views. There was a big, floating wheel, and a huge glass tower, bigger than any battle tower she had seen. It was very pretty, and accented the city's new-meets-old feel.

At the moment she was on top a big, white building that seemed to have some kind of importance, maybe something for the thing the human world called 'religion'. She was looking around at the city, when her accented hearing heard someone open a door to a balcony overlooking the city. She had no idea how the man got up there, as she had been in the building before, and all the entrances to these balconies had no stairs up to them. Latias looked down at the man. He had scruffy brown hair, and was wearing a denim jacket, with black jeans, and some shoes that had stars on them. She did have to admit, the human world had some crazy fashion sense. Latias was also considering other weird yet wonderful things on this side of the world, when she heard the man start to sob.

* * *

**Ten Minutes Earlier**

* * *

Joel had escaped the men from earlier, and decided to go and rest at his usual spot, a secluded balcony on the side of St. Paul's Cathedral. Of all the cities Joel had fled to in his life, he liked London the most. It was also close to his hometown of Southampton, which he didn't like as much as it was always too busy, with ships and trains constantly coming in. Once Joel had got to his usual resting spot, he decided to fly through 's, as he always enjoyed seeing the vastly detailed interior. It was covered in various religious figures from Christianity. Joel flew up to the entrance to the balcony, disguised with his invisibility. He quickly transformed, and pushed open the doors. Looking upon the city, he felt like the king of his castle. However, he still felt as lonely and as different as ever, and thinking of this, he started to sob.

* * *

Latias looked at the man again. She concentrated on him for a few seconds, then almost flew back from the shock. The man was emitting a hugely powerful aura. It was a combination of silver and blue, with some gold at the centre. There was no way that a normal human could every emit an aura this strong. Then again, there _was_ something odd about the man. How did he even get up to the balcony in the first place. Latias decided to confront the man, and find out who he really was.

Joel pushed his head into his arms silently sobbing, when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He almost fell backwards off the balcony from the shock. He turned to see a girl with brown hair that had two spikes coming out from it. She was wearing a green blouse with a white skirt. Joel almost didn't know what to say.

"Wh.. Who are you? How did you get up here?" Said Joel, wondering how he would get himself out of this one.

_'The question is, mister, who are YOU? WHAT are you?' _Replied a voice in Joel's head.

"Did.. Did you just do that?" Joel questioned. The girl nodded her head.

_'You seem to be.. Radiating an aura a lot like my brother's, only with different colours... Who are you?'_

"My name is Joel. What is an aura? And how are you inside my head?"

_'That's a long story for another time. I can sense what you are' _The girl spoke. When she said this, Joel looked in horror. Now he really was trapped. _'No! Don't worry, Joel. From what I can tell from your aura, you are like me and my brother. You are a Latios.'_

A Latios? Joel thought to himself. What is a Latios? Almost sensing his thoughts, the girl spoke again.

_'Listen Joel.. as weird as this may sound, you are in the wrong world. You know the side of the world that no-one can get across? _Joel nodded at this. _'That's where you belong. I am a Latias, the female counterpart of Latios. You need to come with me, if you ever want to be free from this.' _Joel took this all in wondering if this could be true.

_'Watch.' _Said Latias. In front of Joel's eyes, the telepathic girl transformed into a red and white floating... Latias? She looked a lot like his form, apart from the fact that her eyes were amber, the tufts of fur on her hear were more curved, the crest on her head was shield shaped, rather than his teardrop shape, the triangle on her chest was blue. Most notably, her feathers were red and her chest was white instead of silver. Surprisingly Joel found himself not being shocked or scared by the creature called Latias.

'_You do the same.'_

Joel called on some of his energy, and transformed into his Latios form. Latias seemed more shocked than Joel was upon her arrival to his balcony.

"What is it?" Asked Joel, inquisitively.

_'Your colouring... It is unlike that of a normal Latios, even a shining one.' _she telepathically spoke, drawing her eyes up and down the form of the dark blue and silver legendary. Joel was wondering what a 'shining one' was or looked like.

_'Again, a story for another time Joel. For now, I must leave. I will return to here tomorrow. Be prepared for a long journey.' _

With that, Latias turned and flew away from the balcony, turning invisible in the process. Joel was left wondering what had just happened, and what will happen in his already insane life next.

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	3. Chapter 3: The hunt

Joel awoke from his slumber on the balcony of St. Paul's Cathedral. The first thing that he remembered was last night's events, particularly the meeting with Latias. _Latias!_ Joel had to get ready to go. He decided to wait over near some trees at the edge of the grounds. So began the wait.

* * *

_'Latios! Latios!' _communicated the red dragon, who had since returned to her home, the Secret Gardens of Altomare. She was trying to find her brother, Latios, to tell him about the journey she had experienced. Out from behind a bush came a very tired looking blue dragon, who looked a lot like Joel's Lati form, except that Latios was white and blue instead of silver and dark blue. Latios also had a red triangle upon his chest.

_'Urgh... Yes sister?'_ Replied the blue eon, wondering what his sister had to say this time for waking him so early.

_'Umm, you know you said not to go to the human only world?'_

_'Really? You went AGAIN? Lorenzo and I already told you not to go there.' _Something like this had already happened before.

_'Just.. Please listen, okay?'_

_Fine.. What's your excuse this time?'_

_'Well.. I was exploring when I found a man crying on a balcony. I only had to take one look at him to see had a very powerful aura about him. It turned out he is a Latios, just like you... Sort of.'_

_'What do you mean, sort of?' _ Latios was finding this story very farfetched and wasn't sure if this was just another poor excuse. But, why would his sister tell him about going to the human world if it wasn't true?

_'His colours were... Different to yours. He was a very dark blue, and he had a silver chest. His triangle was also silver.' _Upon hearing this, Latios was sure that his sister was lying.

_'Are you sure that you're not lying? I'm going to have a conversation with Lorenzo about this.' _ Before Latias could say no, Latios had turned invisible and had gone to find Lorenzo.

* * *

_'Lorenzo. Latias went to the human world again.'_ Latios was speaking to a rather stout man with white hair and a beard.

"Again? What did we tell that girl about visiting the human world?" Replied Lorenzo. He was getting old, and had considered stopping or handing over his gondola business.

_'That if she visits it again, she will be banned from even leaving the secret garden, with a Psychic forcefield.' _After a pause, Latios continued._ 'However, her excuse this time is harder to believe than usual. She said that she encountered another Latios, but his colouring were odd. Not even that of a shiny Latios. He was supposedly dark blue and silver, with a silver triangle.'_

"Hm. Now that IS an odd story, even for Latias. I think we should stay with the plan, and stop her from leaving unti l she promises not to go again."

_'Okay. Shall I tell her now?'_

"Yes. It is for her own good, after all."

And with that, Latios left to tell his sister.

* * *

_'Where has she gotten to?' _Joel thought to himself. He was contemplating if she had gotten lost - she was, after all, not use to London - when he heard a scream from below.

"Monster! Monster!" Shouted them voice. Joel looked down to see a small crowd of people holding cameras.

_"Shit! How could I have been so stupid!" _Joel cursed, before quickly turning invisible and flying down to a back alley. He decided to lay low, but remain within sight of the balcony, so that if Latias did return, he would see her. This went on for about 30 minutes, until Joel decided to give up for a bit, and walk around the nearby streets. He was drawn to a crowd of people standing outside a household electronics shop, with their faces drawn to a television sitting in the window. There was no sound, just subtitles. Joel read them in his head.

_'Inhuman monster spotted... St. Paul's Cathedral... Military dispatched to the area... Wait, the military!? The sent the fucking MILITARY after me?' _joel looked at the screens in horror, wondering how he would get out of this one. He snuck up through an alley transforming and immediately turning invisible. He returned to the balcony at St. Paul's, waiting for Latias still. His worrying was interrupted by the drone of helicopter blades. Joel looking up to see a Chinook floating down the the courtyard in front of 's. It was military spec. When it landed and the hatch opened, twelve soldiers came out, but they weren't normal. They weren't even SAS. They were wearing a black mesh of some kind, and they carried futuristic looking guns and had some kind of weird visor on. Joel looked in shock as they immediately fired grappling hooks onto the balcony his disguised form was currently on. He just hoped they couldn't see him with the visors.

* * *

_'Let me go brother!' _Shouted Latias for the hundredth time, again smashing herself against the barrier that Latios had created.

_'No. You have to learn not to put yourself in danger. You can't go.' _Replied Latios, with a heartless look on his face.

_'Joel is in danger and he needs help!'_ Latios chuckled at this.

_'You gave him a name too? How sweet.'_

_' You have to let me go! Have you seen the strength of their militaries? If they find him, he's done for! He will never get a chance at a life that isn't on the run!'_

_'No. I'm sorry, but Lorenzo and I agreed to prevent you from leaving.'_

Latias chose not to reply. Instead, she kept smashing herself against the barrier until she fainted out of tiredness.

* * *

_'Dammit.. When will these guys go?' _Joel had been on the balcony for at least 15 minutes with the squad of soldiers. He had identified the leader, sitting in the middle of them all.

_'Look at the smug little bastard. Sitting there like he owns the place.' _Joel must have accidentally broadcast his thoughts to the soldier, because he turned and looked around. After looking for a bit, he pulled down his visor. Joel realised they must have been heat signature lenses, as he immediately shouted and the soldiers turned to look at the empty space where Joel was standing. He had to fly up at high speed to avoid the shots of their rifles. When they looked up, Joel proceeded to 'get the hell out of there'. The only thing he heard the squad leader say before getting too far away from him was:

"Dispatch jets! The target is getting away! I repeat the target is getting away!"

* * *

Joel had been flying over the ocean for around an hour. He remembered Latias talking about a barrier somewhere, and that humans couldn't pass through it. He kept flying feeling rather tired, when he heard a droning behind him.

_'Oh look... Here come those jets...' _ Joel sighed, really wondering what he would do next. His thoughts were cut short by a barrage of machine gun fire from the two jets, with a double grazing his wings. This caused a seeing pain, causing Joel to scream from it, and lose altitude. He knew he could outpace the jets, that would be easy, he would just have to outmanoeuvre them.

The twisted game of tag went on for a good half an hour, when Joel started to feel unbelievably tired. The pain had subsided from his wing, but it the wound was still there, limiting his speed. He knew that eventually, Joel would pass through the barrier, and the jets would hit it and explode. Right? Again, his thoughts were cut thought by a loud whizz past his right ear. Joel looked on to see a missile arc down towards the sea.

_'Missiles? Can you guys at least play fairly?'_ Joel thought. The pain in his wing, however, suddenly grew as the whole of his left side suddenly blossomed into a small explosion. Joel could barely see from the pain. He was losing altitude quickly. The last thing Joel saw as he looked back was his wing. It was bloody, battered and broken. He couldn't do anything apart from smash into the water. Joel blacked out.

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**Thanks for reading my story!**

**If you have time, please leave a review!**


	4. Chapter 4: Welcome to Altomare!

**Note for this chapter and all upcoming chapters:**

_**'Thoughts and telepathy'**_

**"Speech"**

**'Pokéspeech'**

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_'Wake up, Latios. Wake up, please.'_

Joel finally stirred, finding himself in some kind of subterranean cave. He turned to see the legs and belly of some kind of giant white bird. Looking up, Joel could see its wings had finger-like appendages on the end of them. Its neck was long and it had blue plates on its back.

'Who are you?"' Joel asked inquisitively, the pain in his battered wing growing again. He also didn't realise that the bird-thing could understand him, and he could also understand it perfectly.

'Good! You're awake, Latios! Do you feel any better?' Replied the beast. It seemed friendlier than Joel first thought.

_'Latios? Oh... Yeah..' _Joel thought, remembering how he had been shot down as Latias hadn't shown up.

'I do feel better. Who are you? By the way, call me Joel, as that is what my name is.' Said Joel, looking up into the eyes of the thing.

'I am Lugia, guardian of the seas. If it wasn't for me, you wouldn't be alive.' After a pause, Lugia continued. 'You say your name is Joel? If you came from the human world, then how I'd you end up here? And why are your colouring different to a normal Latios?' Joel told Lugia his story. Lugia watched Joel, taking in this information.

'So you say that Latias never showed up?'

'Yes.'

'That IS odd of her, for as long as I have known her she has always been eager to do something, rain or shine. I suppose you will want to find her and see what happened?'

'Yes. I also need somewhere to rest.'

'In that case, I will take you to the city of Altomare. Latias and her brother Latios live there. Come now, you must leave before that would gets any worse. I will guide you there.' With that, Lugia turned and jumped into the water at the base of the cavern. Joel followed suit, and both dived under the water, beginning the long journey to Altomare.

* * *

Latias was crying. The human world news report had shown that 'a monster' had been successfully shot down by two jets. (The governments of the regions had decided to show the news report, as it technically had something to do with them. The human only world had never found their signals, but they had easily found theirs.)

_'This is your fault.. You didn't believe me, and you let him die.' _Latias muttered. She was in her human form, with Bianca resting on her shoulder, comforting her.

_'I'm sorry, sister. Maybe if you didn't go there so often, we may have believed you.' _ replied Latios, feeling guilty.

_'Sorry? You let him die, just like that, and all you have to say is sorry!? I'm going.' _Before Latios could continue, Latias had flown out the door, and had begin to fly around Altomare. Bianca turned to look at Latios.

"To be honest, you saw it coming."

_'Yes.. If only I had seen the truth in her eyes.'_

* * *

After a good hour's swimming, Lugia came to a stop.

'I must leave you here. If I come any closer I will risk causing destructive waves. Altomare is just up ahead, you can't miss it.'

'Thank you, Lugia. I appreciate you rescuing me.' Joel replied.

'It's fine, Joel.' The beast had a friendly smile on its face. It turned and swam off, leaving Joel a few metres under the water. He swam up and broke the surface of the water, to see a beautiful city in front of him. He also noticed that as soon as he did fly up, the searing pain in his wing returned instantly, almost causing him to fall back into the water. Taking another look at the wing, he could see that it was bent at an unnatural angle, with blood matting the down feathers on it. Knowing that if he didn't get to land quickly this would happen, Joel flew to a nearby beach without anyone there, and transformed.

_'Well... Time to find out what happened with Latias. I just need to actually FIND her first.' _Joel thought.

* * *

Latias had been flying around Altomare for a while now, trying to let her rage subside. She promised to not return there for the rest of the day just to try and annoy Latios and Lorenzo. She felt sorry for Bianca though, she had no business in the decision being made, and Bianca was her best friend. Why couldn't she have had an opinion on this? If it wasn't for Latios any Lorenzo, Joel might still be alive.

_**Meanwhile, on a boat coming into port...**_

"Come on guys! We're here at last!" Shouted the black haired boy with the yellow Pokémon on his shoulder. He was followed by a dark skinned, squinting man and a girl with a sideways ponytail. Joel had been watching the ships come and go for a while, wondering where he would start searching. However, this boy and his Pokémon had caught his attention. They seemed friendly enough, and they might know their way around the place better than he did, so he walked up and said hi.

"Hey! Who are you?" Replied the dark haired boy.

"I'm Joel. Who are you?" Asked Joel.

"My name is Ash, and this is my partner Pikachu." The mouse Pokémon smiled, and there were flashes of electricity from its cheeks. Joel walked back, worried thisPikachu could hurt him.

"He can... Control electricity?" Said Joel, still worried about the powers of this Pokémon.

"Duh.. Have you never seen an electric Pokémon? They're more common than you think!"

"Uhm.. We don't have that many.. Where I live?"

"Really? Where do you live then?" Ash replied, a quizzical look on his face.

_'Shit... Think of a place, any place...' _Joel came up with the most absurd answer he could think of.

" I was born in.. Portsmouth' Joel said, thinking of the busy port city.

Portsmouth? Never heard of that region."

"It's... Very small, we barely get any visitors, and there aren't many types of Pokémon. That's why I decided to travel." Ash seemed to take the bait, and believe his excuse. Joel though of something else to say off the top of his head.

"I've been travelling in search of legendary Pokémon. I'm looking for Latias at the moment. I photograph them." Joel abruptly realised that he had no camera on him, apart from his phone."

"Latias? We know her! We visited Altomare a few years ago!**" [1]**

"Really? Cool! Can you take me to her?"

"Sure! The place where she lives isn't far from here. We can drop you there and meet you later, as we need to book a hotel" piped the squinting man. "Wait.. Where is your camera?" He looked at Joel oddly, as if he had lied. Joel pulled his phone out, showing it to the odd trio. It was the LG he had bought a few days before meeting Latias.

"What is that?" All three asked.

"It's called a mobile phone. It has a camera on the back, and you can call or text people with it. Do you not have them here?"

"No. Anyway, Joel, we should get going. We'll take you to the secret garden, then meet you there later." Said the squinting man. "I'm Brock, by the way. This is Misty." He pointed to the ginger girl, and she smiled and waved. The trio set off through the twisting alleyways of Altomare. Ash explained his long journey to Joel as they were wwalking. Joel had a look of amazement on his face throughout, much to the amusement of the trio.

"So, what legendaries have you encountered so far?" Asked Ash.

"Just Lugia so far." Said Joel, pretending to be dissapointed.

"JUST LUGIA? YOU MET LUGIA?" Shouted the trio, each with amazed looks on their faces. **[2]**

"Umm, what is it about Lugia?" Joel asked, rather puzzled.

"He's a very rare legendary the only a few have seen! Do you have photos of him?"

"No, I printed them out a while ago and deleted them."

"Wait, you printed photos?"

_'Damnit, how technologically retarded is this side of the world?'_

"Another long story for a different day, Ash." Joel then realsiedbthat the tri had stopped at a corner of the alleyway.

"The garden is right through the wall. See ya later Joel!" With that the three ran off before Joel could say anything else.

_'Through the wall, they said?' _ Joel started at the wall, wondering if there was a door that opened. He put his hand against the wall, only to find it went straight through. Joel stumbled forward from the shock. He looked up, and the view from inside the tunnel was incredible.

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**Thanks for reading my story!**

**If you have time, please leave a review!**

**[1] Let's just say that Latios' death in Movie 5 never happened.**

**[2] Let's also say the events of The Movie 2000 never happened as well...**


	5. Chapter 5: Return from the Dead

In the arch of the tunnel, Joel could see an amazing garden. It was circular, with trees and ponds in the centre. At the back was a waterfall and a beautiful fountain, with water flowing down it. It was almost as if the garden was the oldest thing in the city, and that it had been perfectly preserved. Joel started to walk down the step towards the centre of the garden. It was one of the most breathtaking places he had ever seen in his life. Joel's look of amazement was cut short as he heard some tinkling behind him. He turned to see that some pieces of metal mounted in a frame had begun to spin. Joel was about to go and examine them, when an invisible force slammed into his side, throwing him against a tree and breaking his arm in the process. Joel cried out in agony from the injury. He could barely move from the force of the attack, and his vision was black and red in the corners for a few seconds. A sparkle of blue light flashed in front of him was what he assumed to be Latios.

_'Who are you? How did you find the garden?' _asked the Latios. Joel tried to move but found he couldn't; the Latios had pinned him down with psychic powers.

"Please... Let me go.." whispered Joel.

_'Tell me who you are.'_

"My name is.. Joel." He could barely speak from the pain. Latios seemed to process this response for a minute.

_'I will return in a minute. Stay here for now.' _Joel could barely talk, never mind move. Latios returned a few minutes later, with a girl and an old man.

"You say your name is Joel?" Asked the man.

"Yes.. I need to see Latias." Whispered Joel.

"Wait. Are you by any chance the Joel that Latias supposedly found in the human world?"

"Yes.. Please get her.." Latios flew off to find Latias, leaving the injured Joel with Lorenzo and Bianca.

"Will transforming help get rid of the pain?" Lorenzo asked Joel. Joel's eyes seemed to bulge at the though.

"No.. My injuries in that form would make it even worse."

"How badly are you injured? We have to see now if they are to get the proper care." Joel sighed at the though. He decided to do what Lorenzo said, gritting his teeth to prepare for the pain. There was a flash of blue light, and there lay Joel's battered Latios form. He tried his best not to cry out from the pain, but it was too much. Bianca and Lorenzo could only stare at the wrecked body, now with fresh blood streaming down the crooked wing.

"What the hell happened to you.." Bianca whispered, just staring at the grimacing Latios form of Joel, who had his eyes clenched shut.

* * *

**Five Minutes Earlier**

Latias, still annoyed at her brother and saddened by Joel's plunge into the ocean, had decided to go to sleep on a rooftop where no one would see her. Her rest was abruptly cut short when she heard a familiar voice.

Hey Pikachu! It's the pump where we first met Latias!"

Latias rose her head over the edge to see Ash next to the pump with Pikachu. She quickly flew down and transformed before anyone else could see her.

_'Ash!'_ spoke Latias happily.

"Wh.. Who said that?"

_'Me! It's Latias! I learned how to do telepathy while you were gone!' _Ash turned to look at the girl who was, as usual, disguised as Bianca. Latias' happy expression was short lived, however, as her meeting with Joel showed her how much they were similar. After a few seconds, Latias ran up to Ash and began to cry into his shoulder.

"Latias? What's wrong?" Ash asked, wondering why his friend had suddenly seemed so upset. Latias explained the story to Ash.

"Huh... Okay then. We met a guy called Joel on the way here. Seemed like a nice guy. Had some weird fashion sense, though. He had turned a pair of old jeans into a jacket! And he had this weird 'mobile phone' thingy. Had no idea what Pikachu was. Said he was from a region called.." Ash paused, attempting to remember the obscure name.

"Portsmouth? Anyway, he said he was trying to photograph Legendary Pokémon, so we sent him to the garden to see you."

Latias' eyes widened in shock as she realised this was _the _Joel that she had met. How did he get here? How did he survive the explosion?

_'I have to get back to the garden NOW Ash, he is the Joel you're talking about! Get there with your friends as soon as possible. He's going to be badly injured.' _Just then Latias sensed a presence and turned, only for Latios to reveal himself.

_'Sister! I'm sorry I never believed you. Joel found the garden, and his Latios form my be damaged beyond repair. You need to come, quickly.' _ Without any more words, both eon dragons flew off, leaving Ash and Pikachu standing there, wondering what on earth had just happened.

"Well, Pikachu, I suppose we better go find Brock and Misty..." Pikachu replied with a saddened but inquisitive 'Chaaa..'

* * *

Joel awoke, only to find himself on a bed, in his Latios form, with Latios, Latias, Bianca, Lorenzo, Ash, Brock, Misty and Pikachu surrounding him. He found he barely had the energy to move his neck up.

_'You're awake at last! _ said Latias, with a happy tone in her voice. All at once, everyone started talking with tones of relief in their voices.

"You passed out from the pain a couple of minutes before Latios and Latias returned. We moved you in here and bandaged your wing." Joel looked to his left to see Lorenzo standing there. He could also see his bandaged wing, with the end soaked in blood. Joel laid his head back and sighed.

"Try not to move Joel. We had Nurse Joy come round and check your wing. It completely shattered when the missile hit you, and will take a couple of months to recover. We can stay here and wait for you to recover, if you want." Joel turned to the right this time, and saw Ash smiled back at him. Joel managed a feeble smile before passing out from tiredness.

* * *

**Thanks for reading my story!**

**If you have time, please leave a review!**


	6. Chapter 6: The first night

_**Two months have passed since Chapter 5. Joel's wing is usable again, and Ash has agreed to let Joel travel with them, to see the world that he truly belongs**_ _**in.**__**Latias has shown a clearly strong friendship towards Joel, and Lorenzo, Latios and Bianca are discussing whether she should go with him on his**_**_journey._**

_'So, do you think she should be allowed to go?'_

"Well, she IS clearly very friendly with him. She's been by his side throughout his recovery, not to mention she taught him all about the world. I think she should be allowed to go, if she wants to. And she clearly wants to."

"I agree. I mean, she can get bored very easily here. I think it would be nice for her to see the world."

_'If Altomare were to come under any threat, I think I am strong enough to be able to defend it myself. Besides, nothing bad ever seems to happen here.'_

"Well. It's decided then. She can go with Joel and Ash when the decide to leave. However she has to promise one thing." Lorenzo turned to head to the garden.

* * *

"Latias! Latias?" Shouted Lorenzo, hoping the red eon would hear him. There was a ruffling of leaves up in a tree, and Latias flew down.

_'Yes Lorenzo?'_

"Me, Latios and Bianca have been discussing Joel's departure. We think that, if you want to, you should go with Joel and experience the rest of the world with him and Ash." Upon hearing this, Latias thrust herself into Lorenzo's arms and gave him a hug strong enough to lift him off the ground.

_'Thank you! Thank you so much!'_

"Oh, it's quite alright Latias. Go and tell him. If he is strong enough to be able to fly up to the top of one of the trees, I think he will be ready to leave when Ash leaves. But remember, if any of them do anything bad to you, you come straight back here. Understand?" Latias nodded. Lorenzo turned and left the garden.

Latias, barely able to contain her excitement, flew back up to the tree where Joel was resting. He had been able to fly up to the tops of the trees, which meant they could leave when Ash left!

_'Joel! Joel!' _Latias said while vigorously shaking the sleeping Latios form of Joel. He slowly opened his eyes.

'Urgh.. Yes Latias?'

_'Lorenzo, Bianca and Latios said I can travel with you and Ash!' _ Joel's eyes widened in surprise.

'Really? Cool, we can travel the world together!'

* * *

Ash, Brock and Misty were discussing where to travel next when Joel and Latias walked up to them.

" Hi Joel! What's up?" Asked Ash.

"I've been able to fly up to the tallest tress and run around the garden. I think I'm ready to go when you are!" Joel replied, with a smirk on his face. "Also, Lorenzo agreed to let Latias travel with us!"

"Really? Cool, this will make our journeys even better! Next stop, Rota!"

"Rota? Where's that?"

"It's a town in the region of Kanto. We're going to Cameran Palace, to go participate in The Hero of the Year tournament. You battle other Pokémon trainers to try and get to the top."

"Cool! Oh.. I don't have any Pokémon.."

"That's fine Joel, you can borrow a couple of mine to compete. You'll have to train up first though.." As Ash said this, however, Joel had a plan forming in his head. He would show his true colours at the event.

* * *

**At the port, leaving for Rota**

"So Joel, what's the human world like?" Asked Brock, trying to imagine a world without Pokémon.

"Well... There are a lot more built up cities, for starters. There are taller buildings, and the technology is much smaller and more efficient. Although, no one found a way to contain an animal inside a ball... Oh yeah, we also have more than one currency, and we can trade things and find things out using something called the internet." All four seemed surprised; most scientists thought that a world without Pokémon wouldn't be able to exist. Joel continued to explain every detail for a long time, until Misty asked about some cities he had visited.

"What's London like?"

"London? It's a very beautiful city. I had been there for a few years, hoping to finally have evaded the gangs that constantly chased me. The city is very busy, but it's got some of the most famous landmarks in the human world. It's also on the country I was born in, England." Joel continued to talk about the places he had seen and the people he had talked to. By the end of the talk, it was getting dark, and Joel had explained almost every aspect of every city he had visited.

"It's so diverse there! And to think Pokémon don't exist!" Said Brock, with a still amazed look on his face. The group continued to talk about all their individual adventures, up to the point they met up. Joel was surprised at Ash's seemingly endless ability to encounter legendary Pokémon. Ash also showed Joel his vast collection of Gym Badges, which he had collected from regions far and wide.

Soon it was past midnight, and they were told to go below deck and go to bed. They only had four rooms, three were single and one was double. There would have to be some.. arrangements to be made with the layout. Ash and Brock immediately ran into a single each, leaving one single and a double for Misty, Joel and Latias to fight over. Misty just looked back and forth at the two, then bolted into the single.

"Well... I guess we're going to have to sleep together Latias. I'm quite happy to take the floor, if you want." Said Joel, wondering why the three had rushed into single rooms so quickly. Although secretly, Joel was finding this extremely awkward as he had never actually slept in the same room as someone else.

_'No. I insist you take the bed. I'm fine on the floor._

"Really, you take the bed, or we'll be here all night, Latias."

_'Fine, we can both sleep in the bed.' _Joel was surprised, if not a little disturbed at Latias' sudden and abrupt decision.

"Well, if you insist. Can you at least tell me how to stay in my human form overnight? So I don't accidentally crush you?"

_'The bed is big enough, you should be fine. I'll stay in my natural form as well.' _Latias and Joel transformed, and both floated down into the bed. The light was turned off a few moments later.

'Goodnight, Latias.'

'Goodnight, Joel.'

The two quickly fell asleep.

* * *

**Thanks for reading my story!**

**If you have time, please leave a review!**


	7. 7 Hero of the Year Part 1

'Look at them together!'

'If only we had a camera..'

'They look so peaceful together!'

Joel had been hearing voices in his half-asleep mind for a while now, but he couldn't muster the energy to wake up and find out who he was.

'Wait! Didn't Joel have that phone thing? He said it had a camera on the back.'

'Ha! Yes!'

'Captured forever! Argh, this thing is so awkward to hold..'

'Pikachu, pass it here you idiot, your paws are covering the lens again!'

'Buizel, I'd like to see you do any better with this thing. How do you even take a picture? There aren't any buttons!'

'Look, try tapping that circle there. No, not that one! Not that one either... No... PIKACHU! YOU DROPPED IT?!'

At this point, Joel jolted awake, finding something clutching on to him. He opened his eyes to see the head of Latias curled up against his silver chest. He now realised, blushing, why Ash's Pokémon had been talking. He tried to pull himself away from Latias, but found that in her half-asleep starpte, she was clutching him for warmth. Eventually, Joel managed to prise himself out of her grip, and she whimpered, thrusting her arms out to try and find her heat source. Joel turned to face Ash's Pokémon.

'And what exactly are you doing?' Asked Joel, trying to do his best to seem angry at being woken, but failed.

'Umm, nothing.. Nothing at all...' Replied Buizel, trying to look as clean as possible.

'Why is my phone on the floor, cracked?'

'Pikachu did it!' Buizel ran out of the room, leaving Joel and Pikachu staring at each other. Joel sighed, and floated over to look at his phone. Looking back up, Pikachu had also left. Looking at the pictures, Joel could see that he and Latias had been lying facing each other. Their necks were craned into the shape of a heart, and they were cuddled up together. Joel assumed it was the nature of a Lati to keep warm with another of it's species. Joel had no idea how they knew how to use it, or how they even knew he had it, but he assumed that they could hear through their Pokéballs. The thought passed his mind very quickly, when Ash burst into the room.

'Hey Joel! We arrive at Rota in half an hour, so we need to pack!' Ash said happily yo the silver and ultramarine Latios.

_'Good. He didn't suspect a thing.' _Thought Joel as Ash turned and left the room to finish packing. He turned to face Latias, who was still asleep and he had to roll her about on the bed to get her to wake up.

'Finally, you're awake. Ash said we arrive in Rota soon, so we need to get ready to go. Joel decided to spare the thought of showing her what Pikachu and Buizel did. They both transformed into their human forms.

_'So we arrive soon? Cool, I can't wait for the tournament!'_

"Same! Ash said that I could compete with a couple of his Pokémon, but I need to actually learn how to do this thing first. And I need to actually learn how to attack when I'm Latios, too..."

_'Well.. You could start with telepathy. It'll mean that you can talk to the Pokémon faster.'_

"How do I do it then?"

_'Try connecting your mind with mine, and then 'broadcasting' your thoughts.'_

"Well, ok then, if that's how it's done.." Joel tried to connecting his mind to Latias', and it immediately worked.

_'Hey Joel, did it work?'_

_'I think so.. Hey, it did! Cool!' _This would lead to the next step of his plan for the tournament.

_'Anyway, we should get packing Joel, we don't want to get left behind.'_

_'Well, that's easy for me, the only thing I had with me was my wallet and phone, both of which are pointless now... I may as well just chuck them overboard.'_

* * *

**30 Minutes Later**

"Come on guys! We're here!" Shouted Ash to his friends, all of them eager to get to Cameran Palace and compete for the title of Hero of the Year. Rota was a small town, overlooking a vast river with a tall column of rock in the middle, which had Cameran Palace on the top. It was joined to the mainland by a giant bridge. The boat itself had docked at the base of the pillar, leaving our heroes to climb up a very tall staircase. Joel and Latias, of course, forfeited this idea, deciding to duck out of sight, transform, turn invsisble and fly up.

Eventually, Ash, Brock and Misty joined a rather smug looking Latias and Joel.

_'How was your journey up, then?' _Joel said, not realising that Ash still didn't know Joel could use telepathy now.

"You can use telepathy now Joel?" Asked Ash, surprised he had learnt it so quickly.

_'Yup. Latias taught me this morning.'_

"Cool! This might make it easier for you to train for the tournament."

'_Exactly what Latias said!'_

"Good idea, Latias!" Ash said, looking at the girl. "We should hurry up and find somewhere to train, or you'll have no idea how to battle. First we should sign up though!" The group made their way over to the signup centre.

_'Wait, Ash. I've decided I want to enter.. myself into the tournament.'_

"What do you mean, enter yourself?" Ash thought, thinking of the harm Joel had already come to. "Are you sure? I mean, first off, you're a legendary Pokémon that is rarer than shiny, and you could seriously injure yourself... Again."

_'I'm sure about this, Ash. I've been running all my life, so I'm confident that I'm faster than any Pokémon here. Heck, I could almost outrun an 800 mph jet, even with a shot up wing. And with some basic training, mainly learning moves, I'm confident I can win this.'_

"Mmhm, if you say so. You'll need to enter with three then. Good thing you don't have to say what Pokémon you're enting, as that would take some explaining..."

_"Thanks, Ash! Like I said, I'm sure I can do this." _ The group parted, each going into a different queue to save time. Joel eventually reached the front of the queue, where a woman was waiting behind a counter.

"Hello, are you looking to enter the Hero of the Year Tournament, sir?" The woman asked.

"Yes." Joel replied.

"What region are you from?" Joel had to think of a region that actually existed, and that people knew of. Joel remembered one where Ash had visited and sounded particularly interesting.

"Hoenn" Joel was sure that even he could sense a lie in his voice, but the woman took the bait.

"What is your name, sir?"

"Joel MacArthur."

"And how many Pokémon are you entering into the tournament?"

"Three." _No going back now,_ Joel though to himself.

"Okay sir, the first bout begins in four hours. You will be battle number four." With that, Joel turned to join the others, and they headed off to find a place in the forest to train.

**Three hours later**

"Ok Grovyle, use quick attack!" Shouted Joel.

'Take this!' Said Grovyle, who had been attacking the dummy for last half hour, working up to get his quick attack faster than ever. Joel had been training Swellow for and hour and a half, Grovyle for an hour and a half, and now he would train himself.

"Ok Grovyle, that's enough! I think were ready to battle later."

'Ok Joel, I assume it's time for you to train?'

"Yes. I could do with knowing what I can actually _do._" Joel transformed into his silver/ultramarine Latios form, then went over to Latias.

_'So Latias, what moves did Latios know?' _Asked Joel, wondering where to start.

_'Well, you could start with Luster Purge, I guess. After all, it is the signature move of Latios.'_

_'Luster Purge, eh? First I need to actually learn how to do any kind of attack.'_

_'Well, just like staying in your human form, try pooling energy, but for offensive purposes instead. You should be able to do this easily, seeing as only a Latios can learn it.'_

_'Ok then, I guess I can target the dummy...' _Joel brought forward some energy, and he found his claws instinctively being drawn together. He kept doing this, until a ball of energy formed between his claws. When it was large enough, Joel released it ywords the dummy. There was a large explosion, and when the dust settled, the dummy had completely dissapeared, and there was a sizeable crater left in the ground.

_'How strong are you Joel?! Not even Latios could create a crater that big in the ground!' _ Exclaimed Latias, not realising her travel partner was this strong.

_'Like I said, all those years of running and defending myself probably led to it.'_

Ash, Brock and Misty had heard the explosion and had come running to see what happened. They saw Joel talking to Latias, and there was a huge crater in the ground where the training dummy had been.

"Joel?! What happened here?"

_'I learnt how to use Luster Purge! I could probably win the tournament with a single attack!' _Ash seemed skeptical.

"Are you sure? Some Pokémon are stronger than you think. In fact, some train just for this tournament, and spend years doing in. Just because you can make a massive crater doesn't mean you'll be able to sweep the competition off the floor. However, with your speed, it'll make for an interemssting battle, to say the least." A horn sounded in the distance, signifying thirty minutes until the first bout.

"We'd better be going. We don't want to miss the start of the competition!" Said Brock. The group started off towards the castle. Little did Joel know, if he won, it would be the start of an amazing journey for him.

* * *

"Welcome to the fourth battle, of the first bout, of the annual Hero of the Year Competition, celebrated in order to remember Sir Aaron and Lucario, our town's heroes! The next battle is between Sam Garner of the Unova region, and Joel MacArthur of the Hoenn region! As always, all Pokémon are to be out of their Pokéballs, and contestants are to be dressed up to add to the feel of the event. On the horn, the contestants may begin!" The announcer finished, and after a few seconds, the horn sounded, and the battle began.

_'Grovyle, use your Quick Attack!' _Said Joel to Grovyle, the Pokémon he chose to face Sam's only Pokémon, a Oshawott. Grovyle ran forward at lightning speed.

_'Link Quick Attack with Razor Leaf!' _Grovyle ran until a few feet from the tiny Pokémon, and before Sam could react, a torrent of razor sharp leaves rained down on Oshawott, leaving him instantly fainted.

"Oshawott is unable to battle! Joel wins this bout, and moves up to the next level!" Said one announcer.

"Yes, and I'm sure he will move up further with tactics like this! Telepathy and linked attacks! What else does this mysterious man from Hoenn have to hide?" Replied the second announcer.

Joel continued to battle until he reached the eighth bout; the semi finals. He was surprised to find he would be battling Ash. He had decided to take a big risk, and enter with just Pikachu. Joel was confident, however, that Swellow could outpace Pikachu.

"Out next battle is with last year's champion, Ash Ketchum of Kanto, and the public's new favourite contender to the throne, Joel from Hoenn! Believe it or not folks, the two have in fact been travelling together for some time! Will this be where their friendly rebalry will be settled once and for all? Let the battle begin!" A horn sounded, but Joel had already been talking to Swellow. _Use fly as soon as the horn sounds, and follow it up with an Air slash. _Swellow flew up high, and immediately began diving back down at a lightning speed. Swellows's Air Slash struck Pikachu before Ash had even begun to say the first command to Pikachu. Pikachu was slammed into the ground, but quickly got back up, however he struggled. Swellow had almost won the battle in one hit. One more hit, and he would move onto the finals. However, Ash was having none of this, and told Pikachu to use a Thunderbolt attack. The stream of lightning came unbelievably quickly towards Swellow, and before Joel could react, Swellow had been knocked out. It was down to him and Grovyle now.

_'Grovyle, use Quick Attack linked with Razor Leaf, but loop around the stadium. Turn at one point to confuse Pikachu, then use Double Team. Then release Razor Leaf.' _ Grovyle got the command instantly, and began running around the outside of the arena in a blur. Pikachu did his best to keep track of Grovyle, but when he used Double team, and Pikachu found himself stumbling over quickly.

_'Use Razor Leaf now!' _Grovyle unleashed a swarm of leaves at the still spinning Pikachu, and he was instantly knocked out.

"Pikachu is unable to battle! The bout goes to Joel! In a few minutes, we will move onto the finals. The remaining contestsants take note, you will be unable to heal your Pokémon during the wait for the next battle, so you will need to battle with whatever Pokémon you have left!" Both Joel and his rival seemed surprised at this, both would be fighting with one Pokémon. It was unfortunate for Joel that his rival was using Blaziken, a fire type, against his Grovyle, a grass type. It looked like Joel would need to battle this round, as he had no doubt that Grovyle was going to be taken out instantaneously, as he had seen the Blaziken in battle, and it was at least twice aas fast as Grovyle._ Not as fast as me, though, _Joel though, a smile creeping up on his face.

"Ladies and gentlemen, it is time for the final bout of this year's Hero of the Year Competition! We have two remaining contestants, Lance from Johto! Some of you may recognise him as the current champion of the region! We also have the contender, Joel, the mysterious trainer from Hoenn! Both have one Pokémon, and the odds are heavily in Lance's favour. Will Joel be able to pull off a miracle? Let the battle commence!" With that, the horn sounded.

_'Grovyle, use the same tactic as before!' _Grovyle started to circle the arena, but Lance would have none of it.

"Blaziken, use Flare Blitz!" Flames began spinning around the edge of the arena, taking out Grovyle in one hit. Grovyle landed and didn't get up, meaning he had fainted.

"The battle goes to-" tpThe announcer was cut short by Joel.

"WAIT! I have one more Pokémon!" The announcer paused to look at Joel's submission form.

"It does appear, ladies and gentlemen, that Joel _does _have one more Pokémon - the question is, where is it?"

"Come on then, I can't wait forever! Show us where your other pokemon is!" Shouted Lance, angry at how victory had slipped from his grasp because of a Pokémon that didn't exist.

"Why, he's right in front of you!" Joel shouted back. There was silence in the arena, the crowd tense of what was going to happen next.

"You're the only thing in front of me. Unless you have a Pokémon that can turn invisible, which is impossible, I don't see ho-" Lance was cut short when something impossible happened.

* * *

**Thanks for reading my story!**

**If you have time, please leave a review!**


	8. 8 Hero of the Year Part 2

Joel was enveloped in a blue light, and, when it subsided, and there floated a Latios, but it's colourings were off. It was a dark blue, with a silver chest and triangle. Lance was as shocked as the rest of the crowd. Joel had revealed his true form to his rivals, the crowd and the rest of the world.

_'I AM the third Pokémon that I entered.' _Joel did his best to communicate to everyone.

"Wha... How... Joel... Latios?" Lance was also thinking what everyone else was thinking. Even the commentators were speechless.

_'Questions later. Let's battle!' _Before Lance could argue any further, Joel unleashed a Luster Purge towards Blaziken. Blaziken, however, had recovered from the shock faster, and was expecting an attack, and he nimbly dodged to the side. Joel realised he would have to get up close to take out Blaziken. He was sure, however, that one shot would do it, as Blaziken was such a light Pokémon. And Joel had the perfect plan to do it. Joel flew up high, faster than he verever had before, slowing down until gravity started to pull him back down. He sped up again and started preparing a Luster Purge. When he was just above the stadium, he released the Luster Purge right above Blaziken, and stopped before he hit the ground. The ball of energy flew incredibly fast, smashing down on Blaziken in less than a tenth of a second. When the dust settled, Blaziken lay, there, knocked out in one hit. The whole event must have taken place in three seconds. The crowd was too stunned to speak, and the commentators to stunned to announce the winner. Only was there a reaction when Ash started clapping, then Brock, then Misty, then Latias, and eventually the whole crowd was shouting applause.

"Joel is the winner!" Announced the commentators. Lance, however, was not so pleased with his utter defeat.

"How is this even in the rules of a normal battle? How is a Pokémon even allowed to compete!?" His cries of outrage, however, went unheard, as the crowd was still clapping for Joel a minute later. When the applause subsided, Joel transformed, and went over to Ash and his friends, who were sat at the sidelines, waiting to congratulate him.

"That was an amazing battle, Joel!"

"Yeah! You destroyed him!"

Joel was too stunned at the fact that his plan had worked to thank them for their congratulations. He was also stunned that he won his first tournament after four hours of training, and that he had beaten the champion of a region in one hit.

* * *

**Three hours later**

Joel was sat on the chair, overlooking the crowd at the dinner. He could see Ash, Latias and his friends all enjoying themselves. He had never seen such an amazing feast, and he was almost dissapointed that he had had to stay here and 'look regal' according to the maid next to him. By this time, news of Joel's stunning victory had spread to far out regions. He had been given the chance at a new life, and he had taken it. Maybe things _were _looking up in his life after all. The feast was cut short by a blast of trumpets, and an announcer talking to the crowd.

"All please rise for Queen Ilene." The crowd rose, and Joel turned his head to see someone in a long, purple and white dress walk down to the level on which Joel was on. She began to speak.

"Today we have once again witnessed a new Hero of the Year become champion. This year has had one of the most outright but controversial victories, but I would personally like to congratulate Joel, our new champion, from the Hoenn region." Queen Ilene motioned her hand towards Joel, telling him to stand up. "Joel has shown that victory is possible against the strongest foes, no matter who, or what you are, or where you are from. Joel, would you care to tell us how you came to participate in this tournament?" Joel nodded, and turned to the crowd. His story went on for half an hour, up to the point where he met Ash. He explained his childhood, how he had run for his entire life, and how Latias had given him salvation in a new life. There was crying and laughter, up to the point when he mentioned Latias. Queen Irene motioned for him to pause, and he did.

"Joel, is Latias here now?" Queen Ilene asked.

"Yes, as far as I'm aware."

"Latias, could you come onto the stage?" Queen Ilene turned to the crowd while asking this. A girl got up; she was also wearing a dress for the event, and her hair with the two spikes in it had a flower mounted on it. Latias bowed for the Queen, and she looked up and smiled at her. Queen Ilene continued to speak. "Latias, could you and Joel transform for the crowd. Latias nodded, and was enveloped in a blue light. Joel followed suit. Soon, standing before the crowd and a Latias and a ultramarine/silver Latios. The crowd and Queen Ilene just took in the views and thoughts of seeing two legendary Pokémon in the same room, until a horn sounded somewhere in the castle.

" Once again, we would like to thank all our participants in the tournament. We will now enter the courtyard, and continue our celebrations there." Queen Ilene turned to Joel, holding out a large, jewel-encrusted pole for him to carry. Joel and Latias transformed, and Joel took the pole. **[1]**

_'Sir Aaron! At last you have returned to me!' _Joel heard someone talking inside his head, but he had no idea where it came from.

"D... Did any of you just hear that?" Queen Ilene turned to Joel.

"No? What is it, Joel?"

"There was a voice inside my head. It was almost as if it was coming from the jewel itself." Joel looked down at the jewel, only to notice it had started glowing brighter and brighter. Joel, Queen Ilene and the crowd kept staring as the light seemed to jump out of the orb, and landed on the ground. It grew into a bipedal shape, and when the light subsided, there stood a blue and gray Pokémon.

_'Sir Aaron! Please forgive my delay. I was attacked by a group of Pokémon and they left me blinded! I can tell it is you by your aura!'_

"Umm... Sorry, who are you, exactly?" Queen Ilene and the crowd were forced to watch, as the Pokémon had not realised that there was a crowd.

_'It is me, Sir Aaron! Lucario!' _Queen Ilene spoke this time.

"Lucario? As in, Sir Aaron's Lucario?" Asked the queen, looking at the blinded and confuPicoon. Lucario turned to look at Queen Ilene. It was almost as if his sight extended beyond his body...

_'Queen Rin! Who is this man, if he says he isn't Sir Aaron?'_

"Lucario... Don't take this as a shock, but... Sir Aaron and and Queen Run have been dead for a long time." Lucario didn't seem to register this well, slowly back off, and then he ran into the bowels of the castle.

* * *

**Meanwhile...**

"Targets 1, 3 and 4 have now been sighted, we now have locations of all four targets, over." The man had been watching from the window, taking in the unfolding scene. He was wearing matte black composite armour, and he had a pair of advanced thermal goggles on his head. Slung on his back was an SRSS Bulldog rifle, which also had a Picatinny mounted version of his goggles.

He had been tracking the two targets since they had tleft the third target at Altomare, perfect for their plan. However, their travels had now led the to a fourth target, a Lucario that knew how to use it's aura for devensive and offensive purposes. This Pokémon could greatly assist their plan.

"Ok. Operation Stigma begins on my call. Keep tracking the targets for now., but get that Lucario as soon as you can." A voice replied down the man's headset. He climbed back up the building, out of view.

* * *

Lucario had been running around the castle, trying to find an explanation for all of this. It seemed to have more than doubled in size since he was last there, less than two days ago, training with Sir Aaron. Now, he found himself being chased by impostors of Queen Rin and Sir Aaron. He stumbled upon a familiar arch; it belonged to a bedroom he had briefly been inside. However, upon pushing open the door, he found himself surrounded not by furniture, but by glass cases that contained artefacts that looked familiar.

"Lucario. Stay calm, it is alright." Lucario turned to see Queen Ilene and Joel. "I'm not Queen Run, I am Queen Ilene, a ddescendant of Rin's. This is Joel." Queen Ilene pointed to Joel. "Now, Lucario, don't take this as a shock, but... You've been asleep for more than half a century."

_'But.. How can this be? Just yesterday, I was leaving to help Sir Aaron. And I wake up... To find he has been dead longer than a lifetime?'_

"By the look of it, you were somehow inside the orb, to be released when someone with a similar aura to Sir Aaron touched it. You must've thought it was him, and somehow woken up. Almost like a Pokéball." Joel replied.

_"What is.. a Pokéball?"_

"Ehehe.. It's a long story Lucario, and I somehow worry I'll have to incorporate mine into it... I must ask Latias if there is some way to show people my memories..." Joel told Lucario his story, of how he turned up here. He also explained modern technology in this world and his world. Lucario seemed to show great interest in this. However, he was still depressed knowing he would never see Sir Aaron again. Joel had to go and find his friends, and left Lucario with Queen Ilene.

* * *

Ash, Brock, Misty and Latias had been waiting for Joel's return from finding Lucario for a few hours, and their discussion about if he was worse than Ash at navigating was cut short when Joel burst in.

"And no, I severely doubt I am worse than Ash at navigating. I know most cities I have visited off by heart. Maybe, if you guys like, I can take you there if there was ever a way to get through the barrier." Joel calmly said towards Ash, almost making himself seem aggressive, but they both knew it was banter.

"Look who finally showed up! We've been expecting you for a while, what happened?" Asked Brock, wondering what Joel had got up to around the castle.

"Well, I had to explain to Lucario where he was, and who me and Queen Ilene were.."

"Oh, we were discussing what we should do next, what with you now being known by the world. Latias said that if you imagine a form, you can change into it. That's why she looks like Bianca. She was also saying that she should change too, as to not draw attention to herself. If anyyone asks, we can just say that you continued on your own paths." Joel looked puzzled at Brock, suddenly having pulled such a thing out randomly from his mind.

"Well... If I am to look like someone else... I'll just need to draw it, and transform into them. And I know exactly what I want!" Joel turned away to hunt for some paper and pencils. When he did, he sat down and began to draw. He was there for a long time, as by the time he had finished, everyone had gone to sleep, including Latias, who had chosen to sleep in her Lati form. When he had finished, Joel imagined a 3D version of his drawing in his head, and summoned power to transform into it. He was enveloped in a blue light, and when it subsided their stood a man with short, black hair covered by a black baseball cap. He was wearing a balaclava around his neck that he could lift up to hide his face. On the balaclava was an ornate yet simple logo of a fox, which symbolised the man's cunning and wits. He was also wearing a worn trench coat which came to his knees, as well as a grey turtleneck jumper and a pair of dark blue jeans. Joel took in his new form, particularly his face, which came out just as he had wanted it to. It was chiseled, with some stubble on his checks. The nose was sharp. Strangest of all were his eyes; they were a silver that seemed to swirl and shine. He decided to go to sleep, rather than wake the others. He settled down between Ash and Latias, and was soon asleep.

* * *

**Thanks for reading my story!**

**If you have time, please leave a review!**


	9. Flashback 1: The Set Up

_**I've decided to do a chapter on a past event in Joel's life. This is so that you can get a better understanding of him as a character, and I can explore with ways to change the story.**_

_**This flashback will be based on a bank job Joel once pulled with a few other people. How else would he have been able to afford that phone that Pikachu broke?**_

* * *

They were all in place. Joel was waiting out the back in the car, Rhodes was giving support cover on a roof across the street, and Franklin, Pierce and Dmitri were in the bank, posing as customers until they would pull out guns, and the heist would be underway.

"Everyone in position?" Dmitri whispered down the microphone. This was followed by a series of 'yes's'. "Let's go then. Well be back in 90 seconds. If anyone shows up, you know what to do, Rhodes. Joel, make sure you're ready with the boot open." Joel was watching the street ahead, when a few shots were fired off. A few moments later, an alarm sounded, followed by two more shots. The car was positioned so that the group would come out of the back door, and then burst out onto the street. Joel was lost in thought if what was going on inside for a gruelling half minute, when sirens were heard approaching. Joel looked up to where Rhodes was positioned with his rifle. Joel looked expectantly up, waiting for his sandy blonde hair to come over the edge of the building. It soon did, and was followed by the barrel of his silenced rifle, and a shot. He quickly ducked back behind the edge. This continued for some time, as the police obviously hadn't noticed where they were being attacked from, as no shots were fired back. They would have to leave Rhodes here, but he also had his own escape car; an inconspicuous looking blue Mercedes G-Wagen that they had stolen a few months ago, along with the main getaway car, a Ford F-150 Raptor, that a local 'mechanic' had hooked up with a custom built, 900 horsepower engine, along with complete bulletproofing, spike-resistant tires and a cab mounted on the back. Joel kept looking at the roof, until he heard a door open behind him. He turned round to see the rear of the cab had been opened and black duffel bags full of gold and money were being loaded in by Dmitri, Franklin and Pierce. There were a _lot _of bags.

"Shit, how much did you get?" Joel stared in wonder at the bags.

"I don't know, but at least $50 million" Dmitri replied in his thick Russian accent. The loading continued for some time, until all the bags were loaded and the door slammed shut. The group comes to join Joel in the front cab, and after Dmitri had spoken to Rhodes, Joel floored it.

On the street, there were more than a dozen dead bodies, fallen victim to Rhodes' deadly accuracy. The cops were still dazed and wondering where the shots were coming from, when the orange truck burst out of the alley. Immediately the remaining cops began to open fire, and some jumped in their patrol cars to give chase. Rhodes, seeing his work was done, headed down the building to his car, and set off in the opposite direction. Both vehicles were headed for a place up in the hills, where all the planning had gone on.

The loud roar of the engine was blasting over the sirens following behind them. Joel had all his concentration in the road, with everyone else shooting out the windows. The pursuit had caught the attention of the national media, and not to mention SWAT teams, as they were now being chased by black sports cars and heavy duty, purpose built trucks rather that police cars. This was going to be one hell of a chase, and all of them knew it. Joel took a sharp left onto the highway, and continued north, until they encountered their fist obstacle - a roadblock.

"Hold on guys, here we go!" Shouted Joel, trying to make his voice audible over the immense scream of the supercharged engine. The truck smashed through the roadblock as if it were swatting a fly, sending two cars spinning off onto the sides of the highway. One landed on the grass verge, but the other flew through the central reservation, tearing through the iron railing and crunching into the queue of cars on to other side of the highway. Joel suddenly turned onto a dirt path, and was followed by three black vans. However, the truck easily outran them, heading into the hills.

The group's peace was short lived, however, as they soon found themselves being chased by a scout helicopter, armed with minigins and rockets. This was where the truck started to show it's true colours, deflecting bullet after bullet from the huge miniguns.

"How are we gonna stop them rockets?" Asked Franklin. He was a street guy, having grown up in the hood.

"In the glovebox. I had a little present fitted for you." Joel pointed to the glovebox, keeping his eyes in the road at the same time. Franklin opened it, to be greeted with the glorious sight of a grey M32 MGL.

"Shit, nice!" Franklin was smiling at the sight.

"Thought you'd enjoy it." Joel replied, his Southampton accent thick with sarcasm which didn't register with Franklin. Franklin opened a slot in the window, and leaned out the side to face the helicopter with the M32.

"Take this, motherfucker!" Franklin opened fire on the helicopter. It was engulfed in a ball of flame, and started to pirouette towards the ground, heading towards a tree. It impacted, lighting the tree on fire, and tearing the top half off. From there on, the group had a clean run to their base - a dilapidated farmhouse in the middle of a farm, that Dmitri had 'asked' to borrow. The truck drove in, to be greeted by Rhodes, and two others - Victor and Karl, the hackers and planners of the group. Joel pulled up and stopped the truck. Dmitri and Franklin immediately jumped out to go and close the door. Joel and Pierce jumped out to go and unload the truck. They dumped the bags on a table.

"Whew. That's a lot of money." Victor started at the bags.

"It was easier to get than you would've thought. Seems like Chicago has some shite policing." Joel looked up at Victor and Karl. "Now, we just split up, and never cross paths again."

"Seems like a plan to me!"

"Whoah-ho-ho, hold up there. I don't think were done yet guys!" Rhodes shouted in a worried voice.

The group immediately ran up to the window, to be greeted with the rest of the _entire _police force.

"Shit! What do we gon do, Dima?" Franklin said to Dmitri.

"We fight. Everyone grab a gun. Rhodes, grab a rifle. Joel, grab a launcher. When you run out, get guns. We got this money out, and we'll defend it." The group ran over to a pile of weapons. Joel picked up a SMAW launcher and a SCAR-H. Rhodes picked up his trademark rifle, a jet black M82 rifle. It was deadly at any range, and could easily pierce armour and flesh alike, with it's incredibly powerful .50 caliber round. The group returned to the windows, and opened fire. Joel immediately focused on an approachig SWAT van, and shot a rocket at it. When the dust settled, a smouldering wreck lay there. The group continued to shoot anything that moved, until there was nothing there.

"Looks like we did it, guys. We're home free." Dmitri said gruffly.

"I wouldn't be so sure of that, Mr. Nikishin." The group turned to see a woman surrounded by a group of swat soldiers.

"What the fucking h-" Dmitri's words were cut short as a bullet travelled through his skull. He crumpled to the ground, a pool of blood forming.

"Kill them all, apart from the one on the end. I want to know who he is. We could use him." The soldiers put a bullet through each man's head, and they too crumpled to the ground like Dmitri. The woman turned to look at Joel, her gaze seemed to penetrate his thoughts.

"Who are you?" The woman stared at Joel expectantly. "I'm asking for you name." The woman shouted, loudly but calmly.

"J.. Joel MacArthur."

"Ahh, British I see. And not registered in any country. No wonder you've caused so much trouble for us tracking this group." Joel realised that they had been set up; they had been tracked for months by this woman, and she had struck when they were weakest. The woman continued.

"Look here, kid. I'm giving you a one time deal. You give us the money, and you walk out of here, with a new identity, and we'll leave you be. Or, you can try and take the money, and we shoot yoypu in the head. Whaddya say, then? I'll give you some time to think." As soon as the woman had finished, Joel had a plan formulating in his head. He just had to wait for the right time to do it. He played close attention to the actions of the woman and the soldiers. Now, he saw it, and he struck. Hard.

Joel transformed in an instant, and flew forward, barreling into the woman, knocking her out and down. He turned to the soldiers, and flew into them, pinning them against the wall. He brought down his claws onto the soldiers, tearing their faces up. They didn't get up again. Joel transformed again, and ran over to the tables. He picked up the bags a few at a time, and piled them into the back. Joel slammed the door, and ran up to the open driver's door. He hopped in, started the engine, slammed the truck into reverse, and drove off.

"Huh, for someone who witnessed the closest things they had to friends die, I would say I handled that fairly well." Joel said to himself, driving through the long fields of golden corn. He would need somewhere to lay low for a while, but he was safe, not to mention rich. For now.

* * *

**Thanks for reading the first in a line of past events in Joel's life! I plan to make at least four of these.**

**If you have time, please leave a review!**


	10. Chapter 9: Heading for Pallet Town

_'Joel, look at me.' The beast said, staring down at Joel. He stirred, and eventually looked up._

_'Wh.. Who are you?' The man replied, dazed from his awakening, or so he thought._

_'I am Arceus. I am the creator of the universe, and I have brought you here for a reason.'_

_'Why? Why am I here, Arceus?'_

_'I have chosen you, Joel, to be a saviour. Something terrible is about to happen to the world, and if you aren't there to stop it, life as you know it will stop.' Joel took this in for a few minutes._

_'Why me? Why not someone stronger? Or wiser?'_

_'You have shown you are smart enough to handle this task, Joel. For all you know, your life mightn't have been accidental.' The being stared down a Joel, almost with a smirk on its face. 'You can't stay here for much longer, Joel. I have sent a Pokémon to meet you at your next stop. You won't recognise it, but I'm sure Ash will. Now go, and fulfill your purpose in this world. You may meet some familiar faces, as well.' The being turned around, and Joel's vision snapped to black._

* * *

"Wow, this guy sure sleeps for a long time."

"Who is he, anyway? And how did he get in here? And why was he lying on you, Latias?"

"I'm not sure, but be ready to tell Pikachu to attack him, Ash."

"Wait! I saw him move!"

Joel had been hearing the voices in his head since he had gone from the dream. He slowly cracked open his eyes, and saw some very angry looking people. He recognised them as Ash, Brock, Misty and Latias. Pikachu was also on Ash's shoulder.

"Oh, hey guys. Why a-" Joel's worlds were cut short when Ash shouted something, and Pikachu's checks started to crackle.

"OH NO NO WAI-" Joel was engulfed in a ball of yellow electricity, unlike anything he had felt. It was extremely painful. When the electricity subsided, Joel could barely move from the paralysing effect.

"Urgh... Ash, what the hell, man? Why did you shock me?"

"More importantly how did you get in here?"

"Ash.. It's me, Joel. Remember I was designing a new form last night? Dimwit."

"Oh... Heh, sorry Joel." The rest of the group sweat-droped.

"It's fine, just a little stiff from the shock." Joel's new voice was deeper than before. He still had the same accent, but there was almost like the voice emanated power.

"I see you still have your classically odd attire on, although with a little twist." Brock spoke this time, looking particularly at Joel's weathered trench coat.

"Hey, this is a nice coat!" Joel looked angrily at Brock, wondering why they thought his attire was odd. "Why is everything I wear odd, anyway?"

"Nothing.. You just look like one of those grunts from a team."

"A team? Like, a sports team?"

"No, an evil team. Like Team Rocket, or Magma, or Aqua, and so on."

"Rocket? Magma? Aqua? Why are they evil?"

"They try to get something with force. For Magma and Aqua, it's control of land and seas, but they realised their actions would upset the balance of the world, and no one has seen any sign of them for a while. For Rocket it's... um... Ash's Pikachu?" There's this trio of grunts that always follow us and try to steal him. Without success, of course." Ash replied, petting Pikachu's head. Meanwhile, when no-one had noticed, Latias found her eyes glued to Joel's new form. Despite all his excess clothing, she could tell he was muscular, and his new face complemented it. It was almost as if she was drawn to him for something. What though? Suddenly, Joel's eyes caught hers, and she blushed. Joel didn't notice, but Brock and Misty obviously noticed.

"Hey Latias? Why you blushing? Like Joel's new form?" Misty said in a sarcastic voice. Immediately, both Joel and Latias turned beetroot red, and the other three began to laugh. This continued for a while, until Joel broke the silence.

"Urgh. Screw you guys, I'm going out for some air. It's too stuffy in here from the stuff I'm hearing." Joel turned and left.

"Pfft. Its alright Latias, your secret is safe with us!" Latias looked angrily at Brock, and turned and left as well. "Ooh, I wonder where she's going?"

"Oh for god's sake Brock, I think we get the idea. Just because you'll never get a girl..." That shut Brock up immediately. "Anyway, if we do want to get to Pallet Town again, we'd better hurry and pack. It's not that far there, but I want to get there soon. I'll go and find Joel and Latias." Ash left the room, leaving Misty and Brock to pack.

* * *

Joel had found himself at the top of a tower, where no one could get up. He was lost in his thoughts of last night's dream.

_'Familiar faces? I don't remember meeting anyone memorable in this world. And they can't be from the other world because of the barrier. And what did Arceus mean by 'a Pokémon will meet me at our next stop?' I'm sure I'm going to see loads of new Pokémon on my journey, but I wonder which one Arceus was talking about.. I should probably be going back now, I don't want to miss leaving with Ash...' _

He transformed and flew down to lower ledge, then transformed back. He could easily jump across the walls of the castle to the room where he had stayed. Joel, jumped, effortlessly landing on pillar after pillar swinging from outcroppings on the walls to impossibly thin ledges, and climbing up and down mossy walls. He felt like an assassin, waiting to strike with a blade. It reminded him of when he had run for a few years, from men who wants him dead. Back the he was rich , dangerous and useful. That was behind him now, though. He was here, experiencing a new life with Ash and his friends. Joel walked up to the door and knocked. It was opened by Ash, who immediately started smiling in an odd way. Joel turned around to see Latias standing there, with an annoyed look on me face.

"What's so funny?" Joel asked Ash, looking rather confused.

_'I wouldn't worry about it...' _ Latias replied.

Joel and Latias walked in to see everything packed. However, some of Joel's stuff that was in his pockets that he had left out on a table were being looked at curiously by Brock and Misty.

"Yet more people that could damage my stuff..." Joel walked over to them to take the items off their hands, while shooting a dirty look at Pikachu.

"Wait Joel! Can you at least tell us what they are?" Misty exclaimed.

"Urgh.. Fine, as long a I hold them. This.." Joel said, pointing towards something with a broken screen, "Is my phone that I _dropped._" Joel shot another look at Pikachu. "It has a touchscreen on the front, and you can call people with it, as well as text, play games and go on the internet." The group seemed amazed at something so small could do so much.

This here.." Joel pointed to a black object with a shiny back, "Is what's called an iPod. It plays music."

"Can we listen to it?" The group asked in unison.

"At the end, when I finish talking about everything else." Joel replied, sighing. At this point, no one noticed Latias slip into the bathroom with some paper and pencils.

"This.." Joel pointed to a set of keys. "Are the keys for the lockup I own in California. It has all my stuff in it, like cars, money, and other things." Joel excluded the part about having guns and explosives.

"What's a lockup?"

"It's like a room where you can store things. My one is like a garage."

"What cars are in there?"

"From what I remember, a large, orange, heavily armoured pickup truck, a red muscle car and a silver sports car." Before the group could say anything else, Joel stopped them.

"Okay, that's everything, I guess I can let you listen to some music... I'll tell you now, it's probably different to what you've heard..." Joel turned on the iPod and started browsing. He stopped turning the wheel at one point, and pressed a button in the centre a few times. Some hard dance music started to play. Joel turned away to finish packing, and left the iPod playing on the table. The group stood, looking over the 'eye pod'. They stared at it, listening to the music playing out of it. Eventually, the music got a lot louder and stronger, and the group tried their best to cover their ears, not used the the aggressive and punchy sounds.

"Heh, you don't like it?" Joel walked up to the table and paused the iPod. The group shook their heads in unison. "I'll try and find something a bit more instrumental less digital instruments. Wait.. Where'd Latias go?" The group looked around, wondering where the red eon had got to now. Suddenly, a beautiful girl burst out of the bathroom. She had dark, chocolate brown hair, and was wearing a blue cardigan. She had a pair of blue jeans, similar to Joel's, and also had a white shirt on. She still had Bianca's trademark hair spikes, though.

"Latias!?" The group shouted in unison, staring at the Pokémon's new form.

_"I thought you'd like it!' _The girl grinned. _'I thought as been as Joel had new form, I'd get one too!'_

" Cool. At least we won't draw attention to ourselves after last night's events." Joel replied calmly. "Anyway Ash, shouldn't we be going to Pallet Town?"

"Yeah, we should." Ash replied, but he looked puzzled and continued. "How did you know where we're going next when I haven't even told you?"

'Uhm... Long story, Ash. Well, not really, but I'll explain on the way."

The group left the room with their bags, locked the door, and proceeded to the entrance to drop off their keys. However, when they got there, their entrance was blocked by a policewoman.

"Officer Jenny? What's wrong?" Ash asked the policewoman.

"I got called here because, latst night, Lucario was stolen by an armed, masked man."

"WHAT!? Lucario was stolen? How?!"

"We still aren't sure, but I can guarantee that we are looking into it." Everyone's replies, however, were cut short, as Brock took centre stage.

"Lucario may have been stolen but no one can steal my love for you Officer Jenny!" Brock shouted, clinging to the officer's clothes. His shouts were also cut short, as Joel saw a blue and purple frog-like Pokémon jump out of it's Pokéball, and jab Brock in his arse, making him fall to the floor, paralysed for a few seconds.

"Err.. Is he.. Always like that?" Joel asked Ash and Misty.

"Oh yeah, this is normal Brock, I wouldn't worry about it." The two chimed together. The three turned back to look at Officer Jenny, who was helping Brock get back up. She shoved him back over to the other three, and continued.

"Anyway, Lucario was stolen, so we've been told to check everyone's Pokéballs, just in case.

"Sure thing, Officer!" Ash, Brock and Misty released all their Pokémon. Jenny turned to look at Joel and Latias, who hadn't done anything.

"Umm... Pokémon?" The officer said, looking at the two with curiosity.

"Heh... We don't have any." Replied Joel, trying to avoid the officer's gaze.

"What do you mean; 'don't have any?' Everyone has at least one Pokémon with them."

Joel looked around, making sure no-one could see them. He motioned for Latias to transform. The two were surrounded in a blue light, and eventually there stood a Latias and a ultramarine/silver Latios.

"Ahh, so you got new forms? I'm guessing as to not attract attention? Eon dragons can, after all, transform into anything." The officer replied. Joel and Latias nodded their heads, then transformed back.

* * *

**Meanwhile...**

The marksman had been watching the scene unfold through the scope of his MacMillan CS-5 rifle. He picked up a radio, and started to talk through it.

"Targets have been spotted leaving the castle. Both have taken on new forms. Target 1 is wearing a trench coat with jeans and a dirty white turtleneck jumper. He also has a black balaclava and baseball cap. Target two has dark brown hair, and has some skin tight jeans, a white shirt and a blue cardigan on. Will continue to track targets until further orders recieved, over." The message was followed by radio silence.

* * *

"So Ash, how far away is Pallet Town?" Joel asked. They had been walking for a good few hours, and he was the only one who wasn't tired.

"At least... Another... Two... Days..." Ash said, through heavy breaths.

"Aww, c'mon, this isn't that steep of an incline!"

"Just... Because.. You've been... Jumping rooftops... All... Your Life"

"Heh... Wouldn't it just be easier if me, Latias and Charizard flew you there?" Ash facepalmed, and stopped.

"Why didn't I think of that in the first place?"

"Maybe I did, and just didn't want to tell you."

"Argh! You devious little.." Ash's words were cut short by Brock.

"Yeah Joel! What a good idea! We're all tiring, anyway." Latias could barely move from being so tired. Ash released Charizard and Swellow. Ash and Misty climbed onto Charizard, and Brock claimed onto Staravia. That left Latias to climb onto Joel. He transformed, and she clambered on, but barely able to do it. When she eventually did, she almost immediately fell asleep. With that, the group took off, but unfortunately for Joel he couldn't fly at his full speed, as Latias was asleep, lying on his back with her arms curled around Joel's long neck. It was going to be a long flight, and they all knew it.

* * *

**Thanks for reading my story!**

**If you have time, please leave a review!**


	11. Chapter 10: Oak's Lab

_**In the Alpha Universe, immediately before Joel's dream:**_

_"As some of you may be aware, we have discovered a new Legendary Pokémon. He is a Latios, who was in the human world until a few days ago." Said Arceus, after the hall was quiet._

_"Pah! Another Latios? Arceus, even you know there can only be one at a time." Replied Giratina. The giant dragon was always tense, and never agreed to anything._

_"No, it is true. Me and Latios have seen him. In fact, I brought him here before allowing him to rest in my cave." Lugia piped up. The old dragon/bird based been quiet up until now. Latios aslsdo nodded inb agreement, then he spoke._

_"Yes, it is true. Latias wanted to travel with him and Ash, that is why she isn't here." Latios continued. After everyone was silent again, Arceus spoke._

_"I have chosen him to help with the recent disturbances in the barrier. It seems that someone got through it as few years ago, and that person has been wreasking havoc with everything; weather, natural disasters and wireless signals. I know that he has the power to stop whoever is causing this."_

_"But, why not someone stronger? Or faster?" Replied Rayquaza. The serpent was always asking questions._

_"He is faster than all of you, and he could last longer in a battle of cunning, wit and stealth. He can do it, and I am sure of that." Before any more Pokémon could continue, Arceus opened a portal and the pokemon went back to their respective worlds._

* * *

Joel and Charizard had been flying for at least ten hours. They been taking with each other in pokéspeech so that they wouldn't be interrupted. Joel had learnt that Charizard had been rescued by Ash when he was just a Charmander. His trainer had left him out in the rain for hours. Charizard had learned that Joel had been friendless for most of his life. He had found salvation when Latias accidentally found him. Their talk was interrupted by Ash, however.

"Look! Over there! It's Pallet Town!" Ash pointed to a small, dim speck on the horizon.

_"Hey Ash, shouldn't we land somewhere here as to not attract attention?"_

"Good idea, Joel. Charizard, land down there!" Charizard replied with a roar, and flew down to a clearing in the forest. Joel flew down to a different clearing. He noticed that Latias was still half-asleep on his back.

'Come on Latias, wake up. We need to go.' Joel said, nudging Latias' head with his. Latias still didn't wake up, and it turned out she was just looking for warmth, as when Joel tried again, she rubbed her cheek against his fluffy neck. Joel had never been in such an intimate action, and this one wracked his body with shivers of pleasure. After some continued nudging, and a little slamming, Latias eventually woke up, and slowly clambered off her. Joel transformed.

"We're almost here, Latias. Pallet Town is about a mile down that path." Joel said, pointing down the dirt road. Ash, Brock and Misty were already in. "We should hurry if we want to catch them"Joel said.

The two began to run, and eventually caught up with the other three. They were at least halfway down the path already. Joel and Latias immediately spotted Pokémon they had never seen before, and Ash happily talked about every one of them. Eventually the group arrived at a small town with just a few houses. There was some kind of laboratory off to the side, with a large garden full of storage and wonderful Pokémon.

" We can go to my house in a minute, but first I want to go and speak to Professor Oak at his Lab. Come with me, Joel. If you want, he can make you a licensed trainer. Joel's face lit up at this thought.

_'Me... A licensed trainer? I might get my first Pokémon!'_ Joel followed Ash and Latias eagerly to the lab. Inside, there were a few people milling about, looking at fragments of various items. At the end of lab, a grey-haired man was hunched over a piece of technology that looked surprisingly familiar. It was a sleek black colour, with a handle at one end.

"Professor Oak!" Ash shouted eagerly to the man. He turned and smiled at Ash.

"Ash Ketchum... I haven't seen you in a long time! I see you've made some new friends, as well." The man looked at Joel, then Latias.

"Hi! I'm Joel, and this is... Um... Latias." The professor's eyes sparked at the word, and he broke into a smile.

'A legendary Pokémon.. Here! In Pallet Town! This is like a dream come true!" Latias smiled and blushed.

"Hehe... Well, professor, there's more than one here..." Ash said. Joel smiled deviously. He and Latias transformed in front of the professor. He showed more interest in Joel's mysterious colourings, though.

"A blue and silver Latios? That _is _odd.. Then again, with all the disturbances in the world and all this mysterious technology showing up, it's nothing out of the ordinary." Joel transformed so he could talk to the professor.

"What do you mean, odd technology?" Joel asked curiously. The professor picked up the object. It was immediately recognisable by Joel, he had used a model just like it before. It was a Glock 17C. And the professor currently had it pointed at his _face._ Joel instinctively made a grab for the gun, and took it off the professor's hands.

"Professor, don't do that again. You could have just killed yourself." Joel said in a shocked voice.

"How? We don't even know what it is. How would you know?" The professor wasn't angry, just curious.

"Because... I've used one before. It's called a Glock 17C. It's a pistol."

"A.. Pistol?" Joel facepalmed.

"Yes.. And it's very dangerous. More powerful than a Pokémon."

"What?! Can you show us how it works?"

"Umm... We should at least go outside, if you don't want your lab wrecked, professor."

The three walked out to the garden. Joel put the pistol in his right hand, and, holding it properly, he was used to the feel of the pistol. He checked there were rounds in it, and flicked the safety off.

"I would cover your ears." Joel said calmly. Before the two could reply, Joel continued. "Just do it, please? Unless you want your hearing damaged, as these things are loud." The two reluctantly covered their ears. Joel brought the pistol up to face a tree. He looked down the sights of the gun, held his breath, and fired. The gun crackled and there was a loud flash, and the tree splintered. When Joel looked at the tree, there was a hole going straight through the centre. Joel turned to look at the other two. They were in amazement at what the piece of metal had just done. Joel handed the pistol back to the professor, but he secretly emptied the rounds into a pocket, so the professor wouldn't accidentally shoot himself in the face.

"Anyway Ash, didn't you want to talk to the professor? I did as well."

"Oh.. Uhm, yeah." The professor led the group back inside, where ash continued to speak. "I've got more than halfway through the Pokédex, professor! I just need Unova and Kalos now, and I'm done! Thanks for the time, professor!" Ash exclaimed.

"That's truly an achievement Ash! Well done! What do you want now, Joel?" The professor turned to look at Joel. Ash and Latias left the lab, leaving Joel with Professor Oak.

"I want to be a Pokémon trainer, just like Ash!" Joel replied happily.

"Well, you're in luck! It just so happens that I was given three rare Pokémon to research, but I'm done with them now. You can have one, if you like. The professor went over to a table and picked up three Pokéballs. He led Joel to a machine, and placed the first Pokéball in it. On a screen flashed up a picture of a small, chicken-like Pokémon.

"This Pokémon is called Torchic. It is a fire type Pokémon." The professor took out Torchic's Pokéball and replaced it with a second. On the screen flashed up a small, snake like Pokémon.

"This one is called Snivy. It is a grass type Pokémon." Again the professor took out Snivy's Pokéball and replaced it with another. The difference was, this one's Pokéball had a strange blue smudge on the top. The professor placed in the ball, and another Pokémon flashed up.

"The final Pokémon is called Gabite. It's a Dragon/Ground type Pokémon, and it is the evolved form of Gible. I would be careful, this one's a little hyperacti-" Professor Oak's words were cut short as the Pokémon jumped out of it's ball, and flew into Joel, knocking him over. The Pokémon was laughing all the time.

"Urgh... I see what you mean, Professor." The professor, however, was confused.

"That's odd. Gabite seems to have bonded with you very quickly." The Pokémon was currently tugging at Joel's coat with it's claws. "Gabite usually aren't very friendly with strangers, and yet here it is, jumping out of it's Pokéball and wanting to play with you!" Joel turned to look at Gabite.

"Hey, d'you want to travel with me, Gabite?"

'Yeah! I can tell that you're going to be a great trainer!' Gabite replied happily. Joel turned to look at the professor.

"I think it's decided then. Gabite's chosen me, rather than me choosing him." Gabite cried happily, glad that he had found a nice trainer.

"Well, in that case, let's move on. I'll give you a Pokédex rather than a National Dex, seeing as you're travelling with Ash." The professor handed Joel a device with a screen that flipped up and had some button on it. "Here are some Pokéballs, but I'll bsuspect that you might want to buy some better ones if you want to catch Pokémon easily. I would reccomend the Ultra Ball." The professor shoves five red and white balls into Joel's hands. They were like Gabite's ball, but without the odd blue smear on the top. "Finally, here is your trainer card. It has your ID and name on it. It allows you to enter official tournaments as a Pokémon trainer." Professor Oak gave Joel a plastic card.

"So, is that everything?" Joel asked.

"Yes. You're ready to go on a great adventure! Have fun!"

"Thanks! Come on Gabite, got in your Pokéball." Joel pressed the button on the ball, but nothing happened. He pressed it again and again, but with nothing. Gabite was looking at Joel like he was missing something obvious.

"Oh, I should mention something Joel. That ball is somehow damaged which was why I was asked to look at it. It seems it will only work when the Pokémon wants it to."

"So you don't like Pokéballs, Gabite?" Joel asked the blue dragon Pokémon.

'No. They're uncomfortable.' Gabite replied, looking at his new trainer. The professor was looking at Joel like he was mad, but then remembered he was part Latios and could understand Pokéspeech.

'Anyway Gabite, we should probably head Oover to my friend's house and get something to eat." Joel said to Gabite, realising he hasn't eaten since Latias found him on the balcony at St Paul's Cathedral. Joel pushed open the door onto the street, and the hyperactive Gabite followed at heal. Joel turned, and with one final thanks to the professor, went to find Ash's house.

* * *

"Ashton? When did you say your other friends would be here?" Delia shouted through the kitchen into the living room of the house, where Ash and his friends were waiting for Joel's return from the laboratory.

"He should be here soon Mum, and would you please just call me Ash?" Ash replied, embarrassed. The group eventually returned to their normal talk.

"What Pokémon do you think he got?" Asked Misty.

"I'm not sure what Pokémon professor Oak had in his lab, but Joel seems like a Fire type guy to me. I think... Charmander, if Professor Oak had one." Replied Brock.

"I'm just gonna stay neutral... For all we know, Professor Oak might not have had any fire Pokémon." Replied Ash, really wondering where his friend was.

"Hah, that's a lie, Ash. You know how obsessed that man is with fire-types."

"Ehh, that is ture, Brock. But, you never kno-" Ash's words were cut short by an opening of the front door, and Joel was stood in the doorway, breathing heavily.

"Joel, what happened to you? It's unlike you to be breathing heavily from running." Asked Misty, wondering why Joel had gone running.

"New Pokémon... Fast... Gabite..." Replied Joel, between breaths. Joel was then slammed to the floor by a blue, red and grey Pokémon that ran into the house and started jumping upon the table.

"GABITE GET OFF ASH'S TABLE!" Joel shouted, jumping on the pokemon. They both got up, and the hyperactive Pokémon seemed to have calmed down.

"What kind of Pokémon is that?" Asked Ash, staring at the clawed Pokémon. He instinctively got out his Pokédex. The Pokémon looked at the device and tilted it's head. Joel was still recovering from chasing Gabite. The Pokédex started to talk.

"Gabite, the Cave Pokémon. It loves sparkly things. It seeks treasures in caves and hoards the loot in it's nest. Gabite seemed to like this, as it replied with a loud 'Gaaaa!" By this time, Joel had got up, and the group asked him where he had been.

"Chasing Gabite. He's quite the hyperactive little devil, aren't you?" Gabite just smiled, open-mouthed, at Joel. By this time, Ash's mother, Delia, had come in to see what the commotion was all about.

"You must be Ash's new friend! You came just in time, as dinner's ready!" This was followed by a shout from Ash.

"Yes! Dinner!" The group sat down at the table, and once they had served themselves and their Pokémon were busy eating, talked about their adventures.

* * *

**This was a really long chapter to write! Almost two and a half thousand words! Again, thanks for reading!**

**If you have time please post a review! It would be cool to see what people think of my story so far!**

**I plan to make it pretty long, and I have some major points and plot twists set out in my head!**


	12. Chapter 11: Revealing the Past

The group had been eating for some time. They had only generated small talk, but that was stopped when Joel remembered something.

"Hey Ash, I forgot to talk about that dream earlier. You wouldn't mind if I discussed it now, would you?"

"No, not at all, Joel. Go ahead!" Joel, however, also remembered something else.

"However, something more important. I think I should introduce myself and Latias to your mother. My name's Joel, and this is Latias." Joel said, looking towards Delia.

"It's very nice to meet you, Joel. You too, Latias. However, I insist you call me Delia." After a short break, Delia continued. "So, how long have you known Ash, you two?"

"Well, I met Ash at Altomare, but Ash and Latias have known each other for five years, if I'm correct." Joel looked at Ash while saying this.

"Yep! We met when I was in the Tour de Altomare!" Ash said happily. Delia, however, was more interested in Latias.

"I must say, Latias is a very exquisite name. It almost sounds like the name of a Pokémon." Delia said. Latias blushed at this.

"Heh.. Well, Delia... Me and Latias are actually Pokémon. At least, she is a Pokémon, and I'm part Pokémon." Joel said, scratching the back of his turtleneck. Delia seemed amazed at this, wondering if these two were lying. Before she could continue, Joel and Latias got up, and transformed.

_'I'm a Latios, and Latias is a .. Latias.' _Joel said to Delia. She seemed truly confused at this, but her look then turned to amazement again.

"Amazing! To think there are Pokémon that can transform!" Delia said. Before Joel could reply, however, he felt a sharp claw in his back. He turned around to see Gabite standing there, with a worried look upon his face.

'J.. Joel?' Gabite said, wondering where his new friend had gone.

_'Don't worry Gabite.' _ Joel said, trying to not scare the Pokémon. He transformed and continued. "It's a long story." This reminded Joel about something he had been meaning to ask Latias.

"Hey, Latias, is there a way I could show everyone my memories?"

_'You could use Sight Sharing. It's easy to master, but might be more difficult with memories. It would also be harder in a human form.'_

"Well.. You never know until you try..." Joel connected his minds with everyone in the room, including the Pokémon's, and tried to show his memories to them. After some time, Joel's eyes turned blue, and everyone saw images of a city they hadn't seen before.

* * *

_Joel was on top of the Hotel at Canary Wharf. He could sense something bad was going to happen in the area, but he wasn't sure what. He tried to look down at the people, in between alleyways, when he saw it. He instinctively jumped off the building, transforming and turning invisible. In the alley was something Joel was dreading._

_A man was being held at gunpoint by a group of drug dealers._

_"Why the fuck can't you pay us?" Said one forcibly._

_"Look.. I.. I'm sorry! Please, just don't hurt my family!" Replied the man, almost in tears._

_"Heh.. Thanks for the idea.. We'll start there until we get our money." _

_The man was cut short before she could say anymore, as he was slammed into the alleyway wall, instantly breaking his spine. The other four men looked around in surprise, waiting to the force to reveal itself. Joel transformed, revealing himself. He ran up behind the guards, disarming all of them. He shot the crate of drugs with one of their rifles, making the drugs worthless. He tossed the guns over the top of the wall, out of reach. Without anymore words, Joel ran down the alley, sliding over the bonnet of the black Mercedes sedan at the end of the alley. Joel knew the men would be after him. This was only confirmed when he heard a voice behind him shout._

_"Get that motherfucker!"_

_Joel needed a way to get out of here. He wasn't stupid though; if he was in any danger from these rookies, he would have just flown away on the spot. He wanted to toy with them, though. Running down the street, knocking past people, with his assailants hot on his heels, Joel ran up __to the first parked car he saw. It was something fast, thankfully. It was a 2013 British Racing Green Jaguar XJ. He used telepathic powers to smash open the lock on the door. He hopped into the large executive sedan, and again use telepathic powers to start it. He gunned the pedal, and the car shot up the road, heading towards St. Paul's Cathedral._

_However, just as Joel had suspected, he soon found himself being chased by the black Mercedes sedan from earlier. The only difference was, this one had an armed man shooing out of the window towards Joel's car. When the first shots broke the rear window, Joel knew he would have to hurry. Swerving down a residential street, Joel managed to temporarily evade his pursuers. Upon rejoining then main road, Joel found that he was heading straight for them. Before either parties could react, the two cars impacted into each other. The Mercedes took most of the force as it was travelling faster. Joel managed to jump out of the open window before the Jaguar's front end crumpled. The dealers, didn't fare as well. The two in the front were bound to be dead or at least immobile, but the three in the back were still a threat. They were armed as well. Joel waited patiently behind the wreck of the Jaguar, watching the doors to see when they opened. Joel was surprised the police weren't here yet. He would need to hurry if he didn't want to get caught._

_Suddenly, the doors opened and three men came out. Joel wasted no time in running up to them and disarming them. One tried to come up behind him, but he sensed him and span round, slamming the side of one of their rifles, an AN-94, straight into the man's head, knocking him out. That left two people. Thankfully, both were unarmed, and with an AN-94 in his arms to defend himself, Joel ran down an alley, continuing his journey to St. Paul's. Eventually, Joel ditched the rifle as it was too heavy. Running back into a busy main road, Joel slid over the bonnet of a car, and ran into a copse of trees inside the grounds of St. Paul's. He transformed, turned invisible, and flew inside the cathedral. Thankfully, at this time in the day, there weren't many people in there. He flew up to a balcony that he usually stayed on, to watch to city at night, and opened the unused doors there. He looked upon the city, thankful that he had escaped those men. At least he had saved the man's life, for now. However, Joel felt something was missing. For some reason, he had an urge to put his head in his hands. Thinking of past events in his life, like when the closest people he had had to friends were killed by that bitch, that bitch with the greying hair, he began to sob quietly. He was all alone in this world, and it was only now, six years after Dmitri, Franklin, Pierce and Rhodes were killed in front of him, that he felt at his worst._

_Suddenly, he felt a hand on his shoulder, and jolted round, preparing to pull the knife he always stowed in his denim jacket out from it's hiding place. However, he saw a girl there, who looked around 20, a few years younger than he was._

* * *

While the group had been experiencing Joel's memory, Joel had found himself getting more and more tired the longer he did it for. Eventually, after he had caught his first glimpse of Latias in the memory, he collapsed from lack of energy. The group was pulled from Joel's memory, only to see him motionless, lying on the floor. The first to notice were Latias and Ash.

"What happened to him?!" Shouted Ash, worried about Joel's condition. After a few seconds, Latias replied.

"He's just fallen unconscious from the amount of energy it took to do that. He's fine, he just needs a rest. He'll probably be awake in a couple of days." Replied Latias calmly. Latias, Gabite and Ash carried Joel upstairs into the house's spare room, and laid Joel down on a bed. Latias and Ash left, but Gabite stayed by his new friend's bedside. When Ash and Latias came back down, the group were already talking about Joel's adventure.

"Wow, Joel sure is good at combat..." said Brock.

"He's fast, too! Did you see how quickly he was running?!" Replied Brock.

"Man, i do feel sorry for him.. having to run and hide like that all his life... and he was just helping that poor man!" Said Ash, who the group noticed had come back down the stairs.

"Where's Joel's Pokémon? What was it's name? Gabite?" asked Brock, wondering where the blue landshark was.

"He's upstairs, sleeping next to Joel on the floor." Ash replied. "He's sure grown attached to Joel really quickly. Faster even than me and Pikachu did."

Latias had gone to sit back down on a sofa. Her mind was drawn to thinking of Joel, wondering if he would be alright. She was secretly wondering what Joel thought of her.

* * *

**Well, that does it for this chapter. I hope you enjoyed it! As always, if you have some time, plase leave a review. The feedback helps me!**


	13. Chapter 12: Re-awakening

Joel had been asleep for almost two days, his body regaining energy in an attempt to wake up. Everyone had checked on him at least once, and they had even called Nurse Joy to see if he was ok. However, Gabite had stayed by his trainer's bedside the entire time, wanting to make sure his new friend would be ok. He had even decided to eat up in the spare room next to Joel instead of eating with the other Pokémon. Everyone else was amazed at how quickly Gabite had bonded with Joel.

In Joel's mind, he had been forced to revisit the darkest moments of his life. And, because of his condition, he was unable to escape them. He was currently watching the heist take place. It would stop when he saw his friends get shot, and then his mind would give him something else. Eventually, he would come back to the heist. It was the worst kind of hell, worse than pain, worse than having to kill someone. Joel knew that eventually, he would break out of the cycle. Hopefully. At the moment, he had just watched Franklin blow up the helicopter with the M32. He continued to drive up to the safehouse, and fight the oncoming waves. He then saw what he had been dreading; the woman killed his friends. Heck, she didn't even do it herself. This time, Joel didn't continue to another scene. He snapped awake.

Gabite had been by Joel's bedside since he, Ash and Latias had pulled him up here. The days had been strangely agonising for the blue Pokémon, he had walkways been overly protective things he held dear. He assumed it was his natural instinct. For most of the time, Gabite had been listening to everyone downstairs. The two main topics were Joel's sight sharing vision, and their next stop. From what Gabite could faintly hear, Joel had shown them a vision of 'London' and that Ash and his friends would be travelling to a place called Unova next. Gabite had never heard of Unova, having stayed in a daycare in Sinnoh for most of his life, until Professor Oak asked to look at him. That was the first time Gabite had been further than five miles from the daycare, and he was loving every second of it. The sights, the smells, the food, the strange Pokémon, and of course his new friend Joel. Today was the second day he had been lying next to Joel's bedside, waiting for him to wake up.

Gabite was pulled from his thoughts by a sudden, sharp intake of breath from Joel's bed. Gabite got up at lightning-fast speed, only to see Joel still lying there. However, his breathing pattern was different. Gabite jabbed his maw into Joel's side, and it worked. Joel's upper body shot up, so quickly that he hit his heard on the bunk above. After some seconds of clutching his head, Joel pulled down his hands and turned, to see a blue and red form jumping onto his bed, embracing him in a tight hug.

"Argh, Gabite get off! You're.. Crushing... Me..!" Joel said through squeezed lungs. The Pokémon released itself, smiling happily at Joel.

'You're awake at last!' Gabite cried happily. To anyone else, they would have heard Gabite say a few broken syllables of his own name.

"Urgh.. What happened?" Joel asked groggily.

"You passed output after showing us your memory. Latias said it was from lack of energy."

"Makes sense... I did feel really tired during that. I suppose I'd better go downstairs and say hi."

Joel climbed out of bed, and after some shaky steps, went over to the door and left the room. He was just about to go down the stairs when a girl turned the corner, and smacked into Joel. As been as she was going faster, Joel toppled backwards and the girl landed on top of him. She blushed and very quickly got off. By the time Joel had started to clamber up, Jphe heard voices near the girl.

"Joel! You're awake at last!" Said the voice. Joel looked up to see Ash standing behind the girl, who he identified as Latias.

"Uhhh... Yeah? Of course I'm awake..." Joel replied, wondering why Ash and Latias had such surprised and happy looks on their faces.

"Come downstairs, and I'm sure we'll be able to explain!" Ash said, and he and Latias ran down the stairs.

Joel had no idea why the two seemed so happy. He had, after all, only been asleep for a few hours. Hadn't he? Gabite paused, then followed the two. Joel soon followed as well. When in the lounge, he settled down next to Latias and Ash on a sofa. Joel looked up to see everyone else looked as, if not more, happy than Ash and Latias.

"Why do you look all so happy?" Joel asked, slowly panning his eyes around the room. Brock was the first to put Joel's confusion to rest.

"Why? Because you've finally woken up after two days of being asleep, scatterbrain!"

"Hey! I'm not a scatterbr-" Joel cut himself short after realising what Brock said. "Wait, TWO days?!" The group nodded in unison. Joel took in this information, and after a few seconds, realised something else.

"Wait, did a strange Pokémon arrive? Anything weird happen?" Joel was worried that he had missed a big chance at something.

"No, nothing that seemed odd..." Ash replied.

_'Maybe I'm right next to you.'_ said a voice in Joel's head.

"Did... Any of you just hear that?" Joel looked around with a comical look.

"Hear what? They all replied.

"That voice... It was inside my head. Like telepathy."

_'Hmm, I see you've figured that out. Maybe you should start looking.' _ chuckled the voice.

"There! Again! It told me to start looking..." Joel said. The group of humans and Pokémon just looked at him like he was mad. Joel got up and started looking through the house.

_"Warmer... Warmer... No, this way, Joel. Hehe, you're close now. Which way now Joel? This way, that way..." _ said the voice, toying with Joel's mind.

_'I could be in the garden... Hint, hint.' _Laughed the voice.

"Argh! Stop toying with me and reveal yourself!" Joel opened the door to the patio at the back of Ash's house, and looked around the garden.

_'Up.'_ The voice said one word, and Joel looked up. There was nothing there. Joel sighed, and looked back down and around. However, when he looked back up, what he saw shocked him. There was a large, bipedal, pink and purple okémon standing vertically on the arch of the door. It's lilac eyes were staring at Joel, examining him.

"Umm... Hi?" Joel quizzically asked the Pokémon. It smiled, and floated down to stand in front of Joel. It was almost the same height as him, if not taller.

_'So, I see you've woken up. Arceus sent me to talk to you. My name is Mewtwo.' _ The bipedal Pokémon said dryly. Joel saw Ash coming through the house, and his eyes widened when he saw Mewtwo.

'Mewtwo? What are you doing here? Did Arceus send you?" Asked Ash, staring at the Pokémon. It turned to look at the boy.

_'Yes. I've been waiting for Joel to wake up. It's good to see you, Ash, but I have other business to attend to, and it is private, as you can see.' _Mewtwo smiled at Ash, and Ash smiled back. He turned and left Mewtwo and Joel alone. The pink Pokémon turned to look at Joel again.

_'As Arceus told you, there have been some... unnatural... disturbances.. all over the world. None of us are sure what or where they are from, but Arceus chose you to find out where they are coming from. Our most likely points to look at are Kanto, Unova and Kalos. Seeing as Ash has decided to travel to Unova first, I would start there. He is most likely to travel to Kalos after that. This is all I have time for, and all I have to say. It may not seem much, but Arceus thinks you can do it.'_ The pink Pokémon looked up, and refracted the light around itself, turning invisible.

Joel was left wondering what had just happened. He slowly walked back into the front room, where everyone was waiting.

"Mewtwo said to go to Unova. I assume that's where you want to go?" Joel asked Ash.

"Yes... How did he know?" Replied Ash.

"Oh, I don't know... Maybe it's just the fact that you're so predictable..." Said Misty, with a mischevious look on her face.

"Hey!" Ash said angrily. He turned to look back at Joel. "Well, we're all packed, so let's go!" The group turned to the door, and Ash opened it. They were stopped by Delia, though.

"Have fun on your journey, you four!" Delia said happily. She turned and went back upstairs. Ash led through the door, Pikachu in his shoulder. Brock and Misty followed, with Joel leading the back, Gabite by his side.


	14. Chapter 13: Unova Bound

"So Ash, how did you get into Pokémon training?" Asked Joel. The group had been moving towards Vermillion City for some time, hoping to catch a ship to Unova to continue their journeys. The mod wasn't all good, though; Misty and Brock said they would stay in Kanto to continue their dreams and careers, leaving Ash, Joel and Latias to continue.

"Well, I started when I was ten years old." The boy replied.

"Ten? You left home at ten!?" Joel said in horror. Ash seemed confused.

"Errrr, yeah? That's when everyone starts their Pokémon journeys."

"Wow... Ten years old. I wish I was allowed to go on an adventure at that age. You have to be eighteen to be a proper adult in the human world, and even then you still can't do some things until you're 21."

"18? What do you do for eight years then, sit around and do nothing?"

"Well, you leave school at sixteen to find a job. You can drive at 17 and drink alcohol and participate in events and similar things when you're 18." Ash seemed shocked at this information.

"You stay in school until you're sixteen?! Ehh, I suppose you have to do something else seeing as there aren't any Pokémon..." Ash replied.

At this point, the group realised they were being followed by two people, a man and a woman. Joel noticed them when he looked to the trees at the side, and caught them in the corner of his eye. He narrowed them, and turned the other way to look at Ash.

"Hey. Ash. We're being followed. Man and a woman, look around 25." Joel whispered. Brock, Misty and Latias hadn't heard Joel. Ash peeped over his shoulder, and quickly turned around.

"So we are. What do we do, Joel?" Ash replied, whispering still.

"Act natural. Hopefully they didn't see us looking back."

They were, however, spotted by their pursuers. The outcome was the unexpected part.

"Hey, you guys! You up for a battle?!" Shouted the man. This caught the group's attention, and Ash was the first to turn, jumping at the word 'battle'.

"Sure! I'm always ready for a battle!" Ash shouted happily.

"Heh.. Let's go then. Us two versus you and one more person. I like the look of the coat guy with the blue Pokémon." The man said, moving to the side of the path, looking at Joel and Gabite with hungry eyes. Joel was taken aback by this, and tried his best to get out of this.

"Eheheh... I'm sorry, but I haven't even had a Pokémon battle before, man!" Joel said, his face flushing with red.

"Aww, come on, of course you have. Why wouldn't you if you've got that strong-looking Gabite there?" Gabite was almost embarrassed by the compliment, as his face also turned red. "Come on, I'll go easy on ya!" The man said cheekily.

"Yeah, Joel, it'll be fine, don't worry!" Said Ash, attempting to reassure Joel.

"Ash, I don't even know how to attack, or even tell Gabite what to do!" Joel shouted worriedly.

"Trust me, you'll be fine. Just tell Gabite what to to, and I'm sure he'll understand." Ash replied, smiling at the blue Pokémon. Gabite seemed to have the same idea as Joel, though. He looked up at Joel, worried.

'Joel, neither of us can battle, what do we do?' Gabite asked.

"Don't worry, if Ash thinks we can do it, then we can!" Gabite grumbled, and turned to face their opponents. The man had a Caterpie and the woman had a Growlithe. Ash had Pikachu. Joel's first battle was about to begin.

"Ready, to lose, newbie?" The man asked, mocking Joel's inexperience.

"Hey, I won't lose! Me and Gabite will neat your stupid bug!" Joel retorted.

"Enough talk, let's battle!" Shouted the woman. "Growlithe, use ember!" The red and black puppy's mouth opened and glowed red for a few seconds, then shot a feeble ball of fire towards Gabite. Joel reacted to the attack quickly.

"Gabite, dodge it and attack! Anything you can do!" Shouted Joel, over the cheering of Brock and Misty. Gabite easily and nimbly stepped to the side.

'Well, here goes nothing... I have no idea what I'm doing!' Shouted Gabite. He ran forwards, jumping into the air. The Pokémon was surrounded in a blue light, and shot forwards with lightning speed and accuracy. Gabite impacted into the tiny puppy with a huge cloud of dust upon impact. The dust took a while to settle, but when it did, Ash and his friends erupted into cheers. The Growlithe was lying on the ground, it's eyes closed, fainted. Gabite was catching his breath, leaning over, not used the the amount of energy used to attack.

"Hey! The battle isn't over yet! Caterpie, use Tackle on Pikachu!" Shouted the man, realising he could lose. Ansh reacted quickly.

"Pikachu, counter it with Thunderbolt!"

The yellow mouse's cheeks glowed yellow, and he shot out a large, erratic line of pure electricity. The yellow energy surrounded the bug type, and it collapsed almost immediately.

"Caterpie is unable to battle! Joel and Ash win!" Brock shouted happily, declaring the short and one-side battle over.

"Argh! How?! How did this happen!" The man said, walking towards Joel and Ash.

Joel was ready to attack him, but he then did something unexpected. He pulled out his wallet, and thrust a wad of notes into Joel's hand, and another into Ash's. He turned and called the Caterpie back into it's Pokéball. The woman did the same, and they both walked off in a different direction, grumbling.

"Well, that went well.. And they gave us a lot of Pokédollars! This is enough to buy a few Pokéballs and some food!" Ash said happily, clutching the thick wad of grey-blue notes. They had floral pattern around the outside and simply had a print of a Pokéball in the middle, with some unlegible writing around it. Joel examined the waxy notes that looked somewhat familiar.

"You know, these things are like a cross between a one dollar bill and a ten pound note." Joel said, not looking up from the money. Ash didn't reply, so Joel shoved the money into a pocket of his coat, and went over to Brock and Gabite, who were eyeing each other with curiosity.

"What is it, Brock?"

"I'm still not sure what move Gabite used, but I think it could have been Dragon Rush. It had many of the characteristics, but was slightly off colour. Come to think of it, Gabite does look a little.. Odd, compared to a normal Gabite. Then again, it is hard the tell shiny Gabite apart from normal Gabite, so I might just be seeing things."

"Shiny? What does that mean?"

"If a Pokémon is shiny, it has odd and uncommon colouring. They're barely ever seen in the wild; most people have just seen pictures of them."

"Huh. Ok, so Gabite might be shiny?"

"He could be. It's always hard to tell if a Gabite is shiny or not, as they have very similar colourings."

The duo's conversation was interrupted by Ash.

"Come on guys! We don't want to miss the ferry!" The boy shouted happily. Brock, Joel and Gabite followed Ash and Misty who were running towards a city on the horizon.

* * *

Vermillion City was a medium-sized city with a port, which Joel and the offers were heading towards. Their ship was leaving in a quarter of an hour, which gave Joel and Ash just enough time to say goodbye. Coming into the entrance of the port, it was clear it was a busy place. There were people and Pokémon everywhere. Joel had no idea where to go, but Ash did, thankfully. He guided Joel to a ticket booth, with a large ship ahead. The sign on the ticket booth read "UNOVA - DEPARTURES". There was a tired and bored looking man sitting in the booth. Ash, Joel and Latias went up to the man.

"Hello, how may I help you today..." Said the main drearily.

"We would like three one-way tickets to Unova, please!"

The man did some calculations and continued.

"That will be 150 Pokédollars, please..."

Ash handed over the money, and the man pressed three long, rectangular tickets into Ash's hands. Ash gave one to Joel and one to Latias. The gate opened, and the three went through. Instead of going to the ship, Ash turned and looked back through the fence to see Brock and Misty smiling and waving.

"Have fun, you three!" Brock shouted, struggling to be heard over the noise of the port.

"Be sure to keep in touch!" Misty said, smiling.

"We will, don't you worry!" Ash shouted, chuckling. Joel and Latias waved and said their goodbyes and thanks, but Joel was stopped by Brock.

"Wait, Joel. Take this book." Brock said, taking a book out of his rucksack. It was old and worn. "It contains a list of moves Pokémon can learn, and will help you identify your Pokémon's strengths and weaknesses. I'm not in much use of it any more, so you have it." Brock thrust the book through the railing into Joel's hands.

"Um, thanks Brock. I'm sure I'll use it well." Joel said, surprised at the act of kindness. He turned and left with Ash and Latias, to continue to Unova.

* * *

**Thanks for reading my story!**

**If you have time, please leave a review!**


	15. Chapter 14: Enter Brendan

"I wonder what else is out there... Who I am, why I'm here, what mysteries are yet to be discovered..." Joel whispered to himself. He had been watching the sun set over the Unova-Kanto ocean for some time. It felt familiar to him, and reminded him of the things he had left behind, good and bad.

"You know, I do sometimes as well." Said a voice next to Joel. He almost fell off the railing into the sea from shock. There was a man around his height next to him; he looked like he was in his early twenties. He had an odd white and green net hat over some dark brown hair. On his hands were a pair of red, green and black fingerless gloves. He was wearing a black and red shirt with a pair of black and grey trousers. His shoes matched the colour scheme of his gloves. To top it off, he had a green backpack slung across his shoulder.**[1]**

"Who are you? How long have you been here?" Joel asked the man.

"Oh, me? The name's Brendan. I've been next to you for some time, I'm surprised you didn't notice me, you look like someone who would have some kind of sixth sense with that clothing. What's your name? Where you from?" Brendan replied.

"My name's Joel. I'm from.. Uhh.. Hoenn?"

"Really!? I'm from there too! In fact, I'm the champion!"

"Cool!"

After a short period of silence, Brendan continued.

"So, Joel, why you headed for Unova?"

"I'm travelling with a couple of friends. It's a story I'd rather not explain at the moment, as it's pretty lengthy."

"That's fine, everyone has stories. My story was a long one. But now, everyone in Hoenn knows me. And, if I can beat the current World Champion, all over the world! As for me, I want to get some extra practice in before I go there. Apparently there's some really good sites to battle on here."

"Cool. I have no idea what's here. I usually just follow Ash's ideas... But, like I said, it's a long story."

"Wait, Ash? As in, Ash Ketchum? From Pallet Town?"

"Yeah, that's the one. Why do you ask?"

"I know that kid! I battled him, and he lost. To be honest, his tactics were pretty awful, but don't tell him that."

"Really? I can bring you to him, if you like. He'll probably want a rematch!"

"Sure, take me to him. I might just give some of my Pokémon a stretch first."

Brendan produced three Pokéballs from his bag. He threw two into the water, and one into the air. There was a flash of white energy from all three, and there were three Pokémon. Brendan told Joel what they were.

"In the water down there are Swampert and Milotic." Brendan said, pointing to a smooth skinned, blue and orange Pokémon and a cream, pink and blue water serpent.

"Up there is Flygon." Brendan pointed at a green flying dragon. Flygon was eyeing Joel cautiously. "So Joel, what are your Pokémon?" Brendan asked. Joel looked rather dissapointed after seeing Brendan's strong and exotic Pokémon.

"I only have Gabite." Joel said, pointing to the blue landshark, who Brendan hadn't noticed before.

"Hey, cool! I've never seen that kind of Pokémon before."

"Gabite, say hi to Brendan. He's the champion of Hoenn."

'Hoenn? Never heard of that place, sounds like some kind of food. Speaking of food, I'm hungry. Can we go back to Ash and Latias?' Gabite said, yawning.

"We can go and get something to eat in a minute. Can you at least be social? You're usually hyperactive!"

"Wait, can you UNDERSTAND what he's saying!?" Brendan said in surprise. Joel just laughed and looked down.

"Like I said, it's a long story.. If you come with us to Ash, I can explain."

"Fine.. I suppose a second meeting with that kid is inevitable, after all... Swampert, Milotic, Flygon, return!" The three Pokémon returned to their Pokéballs, and the two set off to find Joel's room, with Gabite at Joel's side.

* * *

"When will Joel be back? Can't we just go now?" Latias sighed.

"We should wait for him, what if he comes here and can't get in?" Ash replied. Their conversation had been going on for a while.

"But I'm hungry! Please can we go?!"

"No! I'm sure he'll be back soon."

Their conversation ended when there was a knock at the door. Latias ran up to the door before Ash could react, and opened it. She smiled, as standing there was Joel and Gabite. However, standing behind them was someone who she remembered. She stared, dumbfounded, at the familiar figure.

"Umm, can you move, Latias?"

_'Oh, yeah. Sorry.'_ Latias stepped to the side to allow Joel, Gabite and the new person in. Brendan smiled when he saw Ash sat in a chair.

"Look at that... Ash Ketchum, fancy seeing you here! I haven't seen you since our battle in Fallarbor!" Brendan said happily. Ash smiled at the man.

"It's good to see you too, Brendan! I heard you're the new champion in Hoenn!"

"It's true, I beat Steven, and then a guy called Wallace challenged me a bit later. I wiped the floor with him! Anyway, how's Pikachu and the others?" Pikachu replied with a 'Pikapika!'.

"We're all fine, thanks! I made some new friends, too!"

"Ah, yes. I've already met Joel and Gabite, but I haven't met you yet.. What's your name?" Brendan jauntily asked Latias. Joel butted in, though.

"Heh, this is probably where I need to explain my story. This is Latias." Joel said. Brendan's eyes widened at the name.

"La.. Latias, did you say?"

"Er, yes."

"Latias!? The Latias? From Southern Island?" Latias was still staring at Brendan, mouth open.

"Southern Island? Latias is from Altomare." Latias slowly walked towards Brendan, eyeing him carefully.

"Well, Joel, I met a Latias and a Latios on Southern Island."

_'Yes. My mother and father brought me and my brother to Southern Island for a few days.'_

"Did you say that?" Asked Brendan, puzzled by the voice.

_'Yes. The Latias and Latios you met were me and my brother's parents. We were just babies at that time.'_

Latias transformed at this point, to reveal her true form. Brendan was amazed, as he stared at the red and white eon dragon.

"Amazing! To think I've met so many legendaries! Groudon, Kyogre, Raquaza, Deoxys, the list goes on and on.. And now, a second Latias!"

"Well, Brendan, what if I told you I'm part Latios?" Brendan wasn't so sure this time.

"Impossible!"

"Well, didn't you see the Hero of the Year competition on TV? I was on it!"

"Oh, that stupid, measly competition? It's an unofficial battle, so it doesn't get aired. Come on then, show me!"

Joel sighed, and transformed. Brendan seemed even more surprise than before.

"You.. Are part Pokémon. Those colourings aren't normal, though. A Latios should be light blue and white, with a red triangle."

_'Yes, I know that. I've met Latias' brother. Anyway, I suppose I should explain my story.'_ Joel transformed back, and told Brendan his lengthy story. At the end of it, everyone was hungry and tired. They left for the restaurant aboard the ship, talking amongst themselves. They were almost at Unova, ready to continue their journey, to experience new and interesting things.

* * *

**Thanks for reading my story!**

**If you have time, please leave a review!**

**[1] As been as Ash is fifteen in this story, and I always though of Brendan as around sixteen or seventeen, he will be in his early 20's in this story.**


	16. Flashback 2: The Cannonball Run Part 1

"So, we doing this?"

"For fuck's sake, of course we're doing it! There's no backing down now!"

"Well, I guess this is it. After this, we have to win, or there's no coming back."

"I know. We just keep in radio contact, stay on our toes, and stay armed. This will be easy, remember?"

"Ok. Well, see you in New York, bro. We'll split the money there."

Lou turned and left the lockup, leaving Joel by himself, in between the orange truck and the silver Artega GT. Both were heavily modified, and were better off on the track than the road. After the heist, Joel had bought the Artega new. He almost instantly fell in love with it - the way it looked and the way it drove. He had already won the respect and money of countless racers in Los Angeles, and had been on the wanted list of the LAPD for some time. He had decided to take one last risk - a Cannonball Run across the United States. He and his friend Lou had been planning their route for months. They would head north-east, through North Dakota and Minnesota, then travel down to New York to finish the run. In theory, they would win.

Joel opened the Artega's silver door, and got into the custom-built seat, which was more like a cocoon. He closed the door and started the loud, seven hundred horsepower engine. Joel slowly pressed his foot on the accelerator, and the car growled like a freed beast. Chuckling to himself, Joke took off the handbrake and the car rolled forwards. The door automatically closed and locked behind him. He just had to get to the City Hall with the other participants, and the race across the US would begin.

"Jesus, Lou, we got a lot of competition here." Joel said through the radio, looking at all the cars around the GE building.

"How can you tell? They all look normal to me." Lou replied through the radio. Joel could see his grey and black Shelby Super Snake on the other side of the road, parked between a Chevrolet Impala and a Honda S2000.

"Did you not notice? I can tell most of the cars on this street are sleepers. They probably don't want to attract the cops at the start of the race. I suspect the competition will be more formidable later on. We should park somewhere, the race starts at noon." It was currently 11:55. The race would begin in five minutes. Joel and Lou parked next to each other. The big, brash, Shelby looked monstrous compared the the light and agile Artega.

* * *

A clock started beeping in the car.

"Five seconds, Lou! Here we go!" Joel shouted happily, over the sudden revving of engines. There were a few cops here and there, watching the cars that weren't so inconspicuous, which included Joel and Lou. After five seconds, Joel and Lou shot forwards from there parking spots, and the rest of the cars followed suit. The whole street erupted into a loud roar of supercharged and turbocharged engines. This was going to be a tough race, but Joel and Lou were more prepare than anyone. They had beefe up their cars, to be more than twice as powerful and half as light as before, and they had 'borrowed' some police cars, with which they stole the radios out of and put into their own cars, so they could hear the police radio chatter. The competition may be tough, but they were on top. Or so they thought.

* * *

**Five Minutes Later**

"Shit, they're locking down the whole city, Lou! We need to get out!"

"No crap, it's not like we both have a radio! We'll just have to follow everyone else, and outrun the cops when we're outside the city. Besides, I thought I was the one who was worried about this? We'll be fine, Joel!"

Joel didn't reply, as he was too busy avoiding traffic on one of the main roads out of the city. There were police roadblocks everywhere, but the little Artega nimbly flew through them without a scratch. As soon as they were out of the city, they would take a different route to everyone else, hoping to avoid the majority of the police.

* * *

Joel and Lou had regrouped outside the city, and were currently speeding along with the rest of the participants. For the last half hour they had had their eyes glued to the road, daring not to take them away in case they crashed. Now, though, on the open road, with the police far behind, they could talk and enjoy their surroundings.

"This is a pretty nice place, you know. Maybe I'll visit here after we're done with this. Be rich for life, relax, grow old. Would be a good dream."

"Sure would. We just have to make it happen first."

"Will you stop being so paranoid, Lou! Everything will be fine, we'll win the ten million and be rich for life!" Joel hadn't told Lou about the extra fifty million currently stored in another lockup north of the one where he stored his cars.

"Urgh.. Sorry, I shouldn't, it's just... Something doesn't feel right. Like something bad will happen to us. You know, like there's something in the air? Or a bad memory?"

"I know the feeling. I'm sure we'll be fine."

* * *

**Thanks for reading my story!**

**If you have time, please leave a review!**

**If you don't know what a Cannonball Run is, it's a race that spans the length or width of an entire country. In this case, America.**


	17. Chapter 15: A New Adventure Begins

The boat rolled into port, the golden sun rising behind it on the horizon. Castelia City was a huge place, bigger than any city any of our heroes had been to. It was diverse, as well; there were skyscrapers that stretched further than Joel could crane his neck, and grassy plains where people and Pokémon could mingle.

"Wow! Here we are, Castelia City!" Shouted Ash, happy to see a new place as ever.

"This is awesome! But... We'll have to split and part ways..." Replied Brendan, a saddened look on his face.

"Aww, don't be sad, I'm sure we'll meet again someday. Maybe as rivals!" Joel joked.

_'Now that would be an interesting battle...'_ Said Latios, who had been talking to Gabite for the time they had been on the deck,

Walking down the ramp on the side of the boat, it was clear that the port here was bigger than the one at Vermillion, by tenfold at least. There were crates and cranes scattered everywhere, and various people of shapes and sizes were everywhere, guiding vehicles here and there.

"Where do we go?" Asked Joel, who was as confused as the others, if not more.

"I... Don't know. I guess we just follow everyone else." Brendan replied.

"Well... Let's go that way, then." The group followed a herd of people towards an exit of some kind. There was a sign above the exit that read 'WELCOME TO UNOVA - WELCOME TO CASTELIA CITY - THE CITY OF GRANDEUR.'.

Outside the port, they were met with, to everyone's relief, a Pokémon centre. At least they could ask for a map here. There was one of the city outside on a wall.

"There's the gym... We could start there after we've healed up and had something to eat. Urgh.. So hungry..." Ash said, grumbling.

_'Again? You're always hungry!' _Replied Latias, sighing

"Was he like this in Hoenn, Brendan... Wait? Where did Brendan go?"

"Oh, don't worry about him. He isn't one for goodbyes, and he probably wanted to get a headstart on us."

"Huh. Ok. Anyway, let's go inside, we don't want to stay out in the cold anymore, do w-" Joel was cut short when a boy opened the door to the Pokémon centre, and Joel walked right into him. Both people fell over, clutching their heads. The boy's hat had come off.

"Urgh.. Sorry, didn't see you there..." Joel said awkwardly to the boy, slowly getting up.

"Don't worry, it's fine. The least I could do now is repay you and your group for knocking you over." The boy replied. He was wearing a two-tone blue jacket with a grey shirt underneath. He had a pair of simple black trousers on, with some red and black high tops on. He had brown hair and large brown eyes, along with the hat that had come off when he fell over.

"Repay us?"

"Yeah, sure. I can buy you some lunch if you like. My name's Hilbert, by the way. What's yours?"

"Joel. This is Ash and.. Um.. Latias. This is Gabite." Joel pointed to each person/Pokémon as he said their names. Hilbert obviously hadn't heard of the legendary eon dragons before, as he took it as a name, albeit an odd one, as his face wore an odd expression for a few seconds.

"Anyway, come with me. I know a good restaurant that's near the gym. You three look like you want to go there?"

"Yeah, that's why we came to Unova."

"Well, let's go!"

Hilbert led the group through busy streets, passing the gym, which was a Bug type gym, owned by Burgh. They continued to a narrow, paved, quaint little alleyway with shops either side. There was a restaurant called the Cafe Sonata. Hilbert stopped, opened the door, and led the group inside. A woman greeted the group.

"Welcome to the Cafe Sonata, would you like a table today?" She asked. She had a high pitched, almost snobby voice.

"We'll take a table for four please, with space for Pokémon."

"We have a table available, please follow me." The woman led the group to a large table on the other side of the restaurant, with a gap at the end. Gabite stood there with Pikachu on his head. Everyone else sat down at a seat. Hilbert produced three Pokéballs, and released three Pokémon. To save everyone else's amazed looks, Hilbert told them what kind of Pokémon they were.

"That's Pignite, Herdier and Sawsbuck." Hilbert said, pointing to a short red pig, a dog-like Pokémon and a deer with white antlers and plumes of fur. They all said hello, but Joel didn't reply as otherwise he would be here for a long time explaining his story. "What's your Pokémon's name, Joel? I forgot to ask."

"That's Gabite. He was the first Pokémon I got and he still is."

"I'm sure you'll find some interesting Pokémon here in Unova!"

The woman came back and asked if they were ready to order.

"Not yet, we haven't even opened our menus!" She turned and left them to decide. Looking in the menu, Joel could see some odd dishes he had never seen before. Strangely there was no sign of meat, or if there was something that looked like meat, it was a substitute like tofu. There were lots of berries and nuts. Eventually, Joel decided on something called the 'Oran Berry and Nut salad'. Everyone else decided to go for the same thing. Joel was still confused at what Oran berries actually were.

"They're awesome! They're these really sweet taste good, as well. Not to mention they can heal Pokémon." Hilbert said. Joel was still intrigued at the odd fruits. They continued to discuss different delicacies until their food arrived. The blue berries were huge, like a tomato. Before the trainers had even started eating, Gabite and Pikachu had buried their faces into the blue spheres. When their faces came back up, Gabite's jaw and tongue were a blue colour, and Pikachu's face was stained blue. Everyone laughed, and began eating.

Joel bit into the giant berry to be met with the juice dribbling down his chin. It was extremely sweet but also fruity, like a cross between a mango, a strawberry and a raspberry. After finishing it, Joel felt refreshed and full of energy.

"After eating that, I feel really energetic!"

"Really? Normally only Pokémon can experience the healing capabilities of Oran berries." Hilbert replied, eyeing Joel. Joel justed looked down at his bowl, scratching his head. The group finished their meal without much talk after that, almost like something had happened. The waitress came over and Hilbert paid the bill.

"Well, thanks for paying for us."

"Like I said, it's the least I could do for knocking you over! Anyway, I should be going, I need to challenge the gym here! Bye!" Hilbert got up, retrieved his Pokémon, and after everyone said goodbye, he turned and left.

"Well, at least we got free food out of you hitting him, Joel!"

"Oh please, those doors were transparent. He could see me, he was just asking for trouble..."

* * *

**Thanks for reading my story!**

**If you have time, please leave a review!**


	18. Chapter 16: The Dark Fox

"I'm telling you, Gabite, this place is creepy..."

'Oh come on, it's just a forest! Bear in mind that it's you saying that, with your 'dark' and 'mysterious' past...'

"Hey, shut it!"

'Pfft, please. Like I said, it's just a forest.'

"Fine. It just feels.. Like something's watching us, you know?"

'Nope.'

Joel and Gabite had been treakking through the forest for a few hours. They had been split away from Ash and Latias when they were attacked by a herd of wild Pokémon whilst they were training. They started ten hours ago, and it was getting dark now. Even though the sun was setting, it was like midnight in the forest. Joel had been the cautious and worried one, turning back every now and then.

Joel looked backwards, and saw a pair of gleaming gold eyes and a grey snout poking through a bush. They quickly went back into the bush, and Joel saw the top of a black and purple mane over the top of the bush, running onto the forest.

"Umm, Gabite, I think we are being followed by something!" Joel said, raising his voice at the end.

"Seriously? Again with the 'followed' and the 'creepy', when will... You... Stop." Gabite slowed his sentence as something slammed down onto the forest floor in front of him. Joel turned around, and there was a large, grey, fox-like Pokémon with a black and purple mane standing there. It was growling loudly.

'Get... Out..' It growled.

"Wait, we don't want to hurt you!" Said Joel hastily.

'Yeah! We can here to... To train! And got lost!' Continued Gabite. The Pokémon seemed intrigued at the word 'train'.

'Train, you say?'

"Yes! We got lost in here!"

'How can you understand me?' The Pokémon said, beginning to growl again.

"It's a long story, that I'd rather not expl-"

'A story? If I can beat you in battle, you will tell me your story. If you beat me, I will travel with you.'

"Umm.. Er, yeah. Sure." Joel replied, not wanting to piss off the Pokémon more than it already was.

'Let's begin, then.' The fox said with a sly smile. It darted up into a tree, out of sight.

"Gabite, use Dragon Rush!" Gabite shot up into the tree and impacted with something. The grey and purple fox fell out of the tree onto it's back. It slowly climbed up, growled, and leaped into another tree, out of sight. Gabite fell out of the tree a few seconds later, but landed on his feet. However, he was immediately assaulted from behind by the fox. It had jumped over the tops of the trees to get behind Gabite. The fox swooped onto Gabite, attacking him with it's purple claws. Gabite eventually managed to hoist the fox off his back, and threw him into a tree. The fox could barely move from the impact.

"Use Dragon Rush again! Finish it!" Joel shouted. Gabite rushed forwards, but he was stopped by an invisible force. The fox had it's arm outstretched, and the tips of it's claws were glowing purple.

'Stop! You win... I give up...' The fox sighed, struggling to stand. When it eventually did, it slowly stumbled over to Joel.

'You have proved yourself as a strong person. I want to travel with you.' The fox turned away and sat down on a rock. Joel sat down on a rock. The fox was just looking out, over the forest.

"Why do you want to travel with me? You have everything you need, here, in the forest." Joel asked.

'No, I don't. I'm... Different. From the rest of my pack. They kicked me out. The rest of the Zoroark. They left me and Zorua to fend for ourselves, because we were different.' The Zoroark said, sadly. Joel didn't reply, so she continued.

'A trainer took Zorua from me. A man, with tough Pokémon. He was going to hurt us. One of his Pokémon pinned me down while he took Zorua, my precious Zorua, from me. He told the Pokémon to hurt me, and I woke up a few hours later. Ever since then, I despised humans.'

"Why reveal yourself to me, then?"

'I can tell you're a good person. You're important. Like, changing the world important. For a few months, there's been some kind of change in the atmosphere. Humans and most Pokémon can't sense it, but I can. I met some other Pokémon like me; different. They could sense it too.'

"Sense it? What is it?" Joel was reminded with his meeting with Mewtwo.

'Something bad is going to happen soon. Something world-changing.'

After some silence, Joel spoke.

"What kind of Pokémon are you, anyway?"

'I'm a Zoroarak, but my pack gave nicknames to everyone. They, and other Pokémon in the forest, know me as Arcana, or Arca for short. Come on, we should be going, master.'

"Whoah, whoah, whoah, hold up there. We travel as equals."

'Why? Every other trainer I've seen treats their Pokémon like slaves.'

"Look, like I said, it's a long story as to why I can indertsnad you. But we travel as equals. Besides, you chose to travel with ME. You don't even have to stay in your Pokéball. Gabite doesn't; he hates it. Don't you? Gabite?" Joel turned around to see the landshark on the floor, with his back against a tree.

'Urgh.. Joel, I don't feel too good...'

"Why? What's wrong?" Joel asked the Pokémon. He was looking down, clutching his face. When he looked up, his pupils were dilated. "What the hell?!" Joel recoiled in shock. The blue Pokémon slowly got up.

'Oh! Joel, I think I'm about to-' The landshark said, but his words were cut short as he collapsed on the floor. Almost immediately, he began to glow with a blue light that enveloped his body. Joel could see some odd changes taking place beneath the light. The fins on his hack and arms grew bigger, he grew taller, taller than Joel, and his tail grew longer. Some more spikes on his body formed. The peak on his head moved from his jaw to his forehead, giving the head a more aggressive look. When the light faded, Gabite was still there, hut he was bigger and looked much more aggressive. There was a gold cross on the point in his forehead, and there was a gold triangle beneath the red on his chest. Gabite awoke, but struggled to get up.

"Gabite? What the hell happened to you?" Joel asked, running up to his Pokémon.

'Evolution. When a Pokémon is strong enough, it will evolve into a stronger form.' Said Zoroark, who was dangling from a tree, her head towards the ground.

"Evolution?"

'Yes. I assume, as you're a trainer, you have one of those Pokédex things.'

Joel took the Pokédex from his coat pocket, and pointed the scanner towards Gabite. It came up with a different reading.

"Garchomp, the Mach Pokémon. It can travel at supersonic speeds when it tucks it's wing like fins towards it's body. It never allows it's prey to escape." Chimed the Pokédex.

"Garchomp, huh?" Joel said quietly. There was no reply from Zoroark. Joel looked up to see she had dissapeared. Joel looked around, and the fox pushed through a nearby bush, a pile of Oran berries in her claws. Joel took one, and fed it to Garchomp. She nimbly climbed back into the tree, and resumed hazging upside down.

'Urgh.. Wh... Oh, man, I'm tired. What happened?' Asked the giant landshark.

"You evolved."

'What?! I evolved?!' Garchomp looked down to see he was taller. He examined his arms, looking at the huge fins that were covered in a darker shade of scaly skin. 'Huh. I did.' Whilst Garchomp was examining his new form. Joel heard a rustling in the bushes, and Ash, Pikachu and Latias popped through. Before either side could react, Zoroark had swung down, and was standing between them, growling loudly. Ash obviously didn't realise that Joel had befriended the fox, and he didn't know Gabite had evolved into Garchomp. He was shocked.

"Joel! Get away from those Pokémon! They're dangerous!"

"Oh, come on. Zoroark? Dangerous? She's just a little wary of people, aren't you?" Zoroark growled in agreement.

"Behind you!"

"Urgh, Ash, it's just.. Let's go back to the city, and I'll explain on the way." Joel said. Garchomp walked up alongside Joel. Zoroark was still staring at Ash, Latias and Latias. "Zoroark, don't worry, they're my friends."

'Sorry.'

"It's fine, I can understand why you were wary." Ash, Latias, Pikachu. This is Zoroark. I'm sure you'll be fine with her. She's just a little... Cautious. Oh, and Gabite evolved into Garchomp." The giant landshark looked happily down at the group. "Neither of them like Pokéballs, oddly." Neither Pokémon replied. "Anyway, we should be going. Zoroark, I'll explain my story to you at our hotel."

The group eventually got back through the woods, and returned to their hotel in Castelia City.

* * *

**Thanks for reading my story!**

**If you have time, please leave a review!**


	19. Chapter 17: To Central Plaza!

Joel awoke to the sunlight filtering through the blinds. Squinting so he wouldn't be blinded, he got up and looked around the hotel room. The suite itself had three rooms, a bedroom, a bathroom and a kitchen/diner. Joel assumed that everyone else was in the front room, as the only other Pokémon in the room was Zoroark, who was still asleep. She was curled up, her head curled round to almost touch the end of the voluptuous purple and burgundy mane that was on her head. She was the only one who didn't know about Joel's story.

"Well, better now than never..." Joel sighed, and transformed. He floated over to the fox Pokémon, and tapped her on the shoulder a few times. She slowly opened her eyes, and looked up at Joel. After a few seconds, her eyes widened, then they narrowed. She growled, and jumped onto Joel, making him float backwards and 'fall over'. Her purple claws were around Joel's slender throat, and she had him pinned down.

'Who are you?' She growled.

'Zoroark, get off m-' Joel was cut short as Zoroark's razor sharp claws scratched his face.

'I asked who you are!'

'Get off me and I'll explain!'

'No! You explain here!'

By this time, Zoroark's confusion had attracted the acute hearing of Pikachu. Wondering what it was, he slowly padded into the bedroom. The others were having breakfast. Pikachu ambled into the bedroom to see Joel in his Latios form, with Zoroark on top of him, her claws around his neck, pinning him down. He was clearly struggling to get up. Pikachu did the only thing he could do, and that was about for the others. He couldn't risk using a thunderbolt and hurting both of them.

'Garchomp! Get in here!' Pikachu shouted. Zoroark heard Pikachu and turned her head to look at him.

'Pikachu!? Don't just sit there, help me stop this intruder!' Zoroark growled. At this point, Garchomp wandered in, looking down at Pikachu. He could barely fit his head under the door now that he had evolved. He looked beyond Pikachu, and instantly reacted. He rushed forward and tackled Zoroark, who was still in her state of rage/confusion at the 'intruder'. Garchomp pinned down the fox, who was much smaller. He looked at her, his beady, golden eyes staring angrily into her bronze ones.

'What the hell do you think you're doing?!' Garchomp shouted. The shouts had attracted the attention of Latias, Ash, and his Pokémon.

'Stopping that Pokémon that broke in!' She shouted back. Both of their wills were iron; neither would back down.

'That's Joel!'

'What? Joel is a human, not a Pokémon!' Zoroark retorted. Joel was the one to split them up.

'Stop. I should have explained this to Zoroark when I'm human, really. Joel transformed, and Zoroark looked at Joel in utter shock, sorrow and embarrassment. Before Zoroark could even apologise, Joel continued. "I think I should have a talk with her." Everyone else took the hint, and left the room. Ash closed the door behind him. Joel turned back to see Zoroark cowering in a corner, her face tucked to the ground. She was sobbing.

"Shush, shush, it's alright, it was an accident." Joel calmly said, stroking her purple mane. The fur was soft and silky.

'I... I'm s... Sorry, for hurting you...' Zoroark quietly replied.

"It's alright, everyone makes mistakes. It was my fault, I should have come up to you in my human form. Oh, yeah, I should probably explain my story. I might even add in some extra details the other's don't know, if you want." Zoroark didn't move, but Joel decided to add them anyway. He slid down and sat next to her, her head still between her knees, while he continued to flatten her mane.

"So..." Joel explained his story. He must have been there for around half an hour, telling Zoroark all the details of his past. He included the heist and the cannonball run. Towards the end, she raised her head, and she tilted her right ear towards Joel so she could hear him better. "Well, that's about it for me. And, you don't need to apologise, Zoroark, it was my fault. I should have known how you would have reacted with your past."

'Ok, Joel.' Joel got up quickly and went into the front room. Zoroark followed after some time. She found Joel reading a note in the table.

"It looks like the others went to Central Plaza to have some fun and train. What d'you say, shall we go there?"

'Ok.' Zoroark replied cautiously, worried that the others would still be mad at her. Almost sensing her worry, Joel spoke for her.

"I'm sure it'll be fine. Trust me, it was my fault." Before Zoroark could continue, Joel had opened the door and was waiting for her to come out. She went outside, and Joel closed the door, locking it.

"I'm not entirely sure where it is, but there's a map outside the hotel."

Joel and Zoroark went down the stairs, and outside the hotel. They were getting some very surprised and odd looks from people. Joel tired to avoid them when he looked at the map. He found Central Plaza easily enough; it was a large, circular expanse of grass in the middle of the city; a few blocks away. The odd pair continued north up Castelia Street. They continued to get strange looks.

"Hey, Zoroark, have you noticed the people looking at us?"

'What can I say? Like I said, I'm different to other Zoroark.' She replied, the corner of her purple mouth curling up.

"That reminded me; when we're at the plaza, I need to use my Pokédex on you."

'You can do it now, if you like.'

Joel pulled the Pokédex from his coat pocket, and pointed the scanner at Zoroark.

"Zoroark, the Illusion Fox Pokémon. It can create extremely realistic illusion to trick it's enemies. Shiny Pokémon detected."

"Why do they call you an 'Illusion Fox Pokémon?'" Joel asked, looked at the grey and purple fox. She smiled, and turned into a purple ball of light, that grey to the same height as Joel. The light dissapeared, and, instead of Zoroark, an exact copy of Joel stood before him, right down to the details on the hat and coat. "Oh, so that's why..." Joel said, smiling. They continued north to the plaza, to see Ash and Latias sat under a tree with Ash's Pokémon and Garchomp. They looked shock when they saw two Joels walking towards them, their feet and arms in unison.

"Hey guys!" Joel shouted to them.

"Joel? Why are there two of you?' Ash asked.

"Well..." Joel said, turning to his clone. The clone smiled, and turned into an elongated ball of purple light. It lengthened, and there was a clone of Ash.

"Oh.. Yeah... Zoroark and Zorua can transform..." Ash said, remembering the encounter with the Zorua he had a few years ago. Pikachu didn't remember, as he walked up to Ash/Zoroark, confused.

'Ash?' Pikachu asked. He turned to look at the real Ash. There was a noise, and he turned back round to see a mirror image of himself looking back at him, apart from the fact that this one had gold eyes. The fake Pikachu started laughing, and ran off in the opposite direction. Pikachu followed it, shouting angrily. Joel went and sat down between Garchomp and Latias. Ash and his Pokémon had gone off to try and find some competition. Joel remembered the book Brock had given him. He dug the tattered thing out of his pocket. The title read 'Pokemon 101 - Moves, Attack and Defence, Tactitcs, Types and more.'.

"This could be more useful than I first thought..." Joel opened the book to a random page. The title at the top read 'Dark Type Pokémon attacks.' It was covered in notes, that Joel recognised as Brock's handwriting. One of them said 'Dark - weak to Fighting and Bug, doubly effective against Flying and ghost types. Immune to Psychic types.' Joel continued down the page reading some more notes. There was a list of moves that dark type Pokémon in each region could learn; it specified for each Pokémon in the region. Zoroark, being one of the small amount of Dark type Pokémon exclusive to Unova, occupied a fair amount of the space. There were a lot of differentmovt moves. Joel read a few off in his head.

_'Fury Swipes... Swpies the foe multiple times with glowing claws...' _ Joel's mind went back to when Zoroark slashed Garchomp when he was a Gabite. She knew that move. _'Faint Attack... Attacks the foe with fast speed. Never misses. She knows that as well. Two down, two more to go.. U Turn... That one doesn't sound familiar, I guess I can start there...' _Joel got up and shoved the book back into his pocket.

"I'm going to find Zoroark and she how strong she is. If either of you two want to come along, feel free." Joel said to Latias and Garchomp. They both got up, and followed Joel through the park.

* * *

**Thanks for reading my story!**

**If you have time, please leave a review!**


	20. Chapter 18: Castelia Gym

"Hmm, let's try... Dragon Claw!" Joel said to Garchomp. They two had been practising moves for the last four hours; With Latias watching form beneath a tree, the same tree that Zoroark was doing her trademark upside-down hanging from. Ash had gone to a different part of the plaza to train for the gym. So far, Joel had trained Zoroark, and he now knew what moves she could learn. She knew a lot, and eventually they decided to use Fury Swipes, Faint Attack, U-Turn and Night Daze. Garchomp now knew Dragon Rush, Dual Chop and Double Edge. They were trying one last move to make sure they were prepare for the challenge.

Joel pointed at a picture in the book; it depicted a Garchomp slashing down with it's talons a glowing red colour.

'I can try it..' Garchomp replied warily, looking at the picture. He walked up to the tattered training dummy, and brought his talons down onto it. They glowed bright red, and knocked the dummy backwards, causing more slashes in the fabric and gel cylinder. Garchomp turned back and walked up to Joel, smiling. 'It worked!'

"Awesome! We're all set; we just need to find Ash now..." Joel said. "Zoroark, can you climb up the tree to see if Ash is anywhere?" Zoroark nodded, and she nimbly flipped up, swinging from branch to branch.

'Yeah! I can see him, he's over the other side... Battling, by the look of it.' Zoroark shouted back down. She swung down to ground level, and the four went over to find Ash.

* * *

**Five Minutes Earlier**

"Look! It's the twerp and his Pokémon."

"Ok, look! Pikachu's there! And the twoip's all alone!"

"This couldn't be any better! Let's pounce on him!"

* * *

"Pikachu! Use thunderbolt!" Ash shouted. Pikachu ran forward, the electrical sacs on his cheeks sparking. He was about to attack when something long and metal burst out of a bush and grabbed pikachu. It was followed by a small mech, atop which were three familiar faces.

"Team Rocket!" Ash shouted, enraged. "Let Pikachu go!"

"Oh, no!" Replied James.

"We'll catch Pikachu without much trouble!" Continued Jessie.

"If this mech was bigger, we'd catch double!"

"To please our boss with a happy sensation!"

"To unite all peoples within our nation!"

"To denounce the evils of truth and love!"

"To extend our reach to the stars above!"

"Jessie!"

"James!"

"Meowth too! We'll be taking Pikachu away from you!" The mech retracted the arms, and Pikachu was stored in a tank in the belly of the mech. Ash could hear his cries.

"Argh! Buizel, use Water Gun! Scraggy, use slam!" Buizel spouted a powerful jet of water from his mouth, and Scraggy ran forward, slamming into the mech's leg. It lost it's balance, and the onslaught of water made it topple over. It landed on the ground with a mighty crash.

"How did this happen!?" As Jessie, James and Meowth composed themselves, Joel, Garchomp, Zoroark and Latias can!e running up to Ash.

'Ash? What the hell's going on?" Joel asked, surveying the scene.

"Team Rocket! They tried to steal Pikachu!" The boy replied.

"Steal Pikachu?!"

"Yes! They're always trying to do it!" Ash shouted angrily. Joel though for a minute.

"Garchomp! Use Dragon Claw on the bottom of the mech! Zoroark, you use Night Daze on those people!" Garchomp ran forwards and slashed the belly of the mech open with one claw. Zoroark ran around the other side to face team rocket.

"Urgh, that was was a hard hit..." Jessie said, clutching her head.

"I think we have some bigger problems than that!" James hastily replied, staring at the purple, grey and burgundy bipedal fox Pokémon standing in front of them. The three were just sat there, staring at it. It growled loudly. Before any if the three could react, it slammed it's arms into the ground, and a crack of purple light sped towards them. When input hit them, there was a large explosion, and the three Team Rocket members were shot up into the air, far away from Castelia City. The last thing that everyone heard was:

"Team Rocket's blasting off againnn!" They dissapeared with a flash of white light.

* * *

"Great job, guys!" Ash said happily, coming back towards the group with a dirty, dusty Pikachu on his shoulder.

"No problem, Ash. I was just helping a friend in need."

"Anyway, did you train with Zoroark and Garchomp?"

"Yup! We're all ready to go, aren't we?" Joel said, turning to look at the two distinct Pokémon. They both nodded.

_'Just don't let your big ego get the better of you, Ash Ketchum...' _ Latias said, smiling at Ash.

"I'll be fine! Apparently the gym leader here isn't too experienced, which helps."

"I wouldn't be so sure, Ash." Joel replied with a wry grin on his face. "Don't underestimate people!"

"Ehh, whatever. I'm undefeatable!"

"Odd, I remember Brendan talking abou-"

"Alright, alright! I'm ensure this gym will be easy!"

"Whatever you say..." Replied Joel.

* * *

"So, you two have come to challenge me?" Burgh asked the two people.

"Yeah, why else would we be here?" Replied Joel.

"We're here for the Insect Badge!" Continued Ash.

"Hm. I suppose as you look like you have more powerful Pokémon, you can go first." Burgh replied in his smug voice, looking at Joel.

"Sorry, Ash. Part of the food chain." Joel jokingly whispered into his ear, before going up to the battle platform.

"What shall we say, doubles?" Burgh said, smiling.

"Doubles it is!" Joel replied. Burgh smiled, and there two Pokéballs out. Two Pokémon came out, and from the last few hours of reading the book, Joel could easily recognise them. The one on the left was a Whirlipede and the one on the right was a Dwebble. Joel mentally called forward Zoroark and Garchomp. Both of the Pokémon were at least twice or three times the height of Burgh's Pokémon, and taller than Burgh himself who was only around four and three quarter feet tall. Ash and Joel could almost sense Burgh's smugness die down, and they both chuckled. Burgh shook his head slightly, and told his Pokémon to attack.

"Whirlipede! Use Poison Tail! Dwebble, use Smack Down!" The circular bug rolled forward, attempting to hit Zoroark with the poisonous tip of it's tail. However, Zoroark and Joel had other ideas.

_'Zoroark, jump up and use Faint Attack on it.' _Joel mentally commanded. Zoroark jumped up, and she smashed glowing fists into the top of the Whirlipede. Zoroark bounced back to stand next to Garchomp. The Whirlipede didn't get back up.

_'Garchomp, use Dragon Claw on the Dwebble.'_Garchomp sprang forwards with lightning fast speed, and brought his forearms onto the small Pokémon. It, too, didn't get up.

"Argh! Return, you two!" Burgh shouted, enraged at his loss that happened so quickly.

"What can I say? Never underestimate people!" Joel shouted to the other end of the arena. Burgh's smug personality had been stomped into the ground. He cAME up to Joel, and pressed a small green and gold badge into Joel's hand.

"This is the Insect Badge. You have earned it..." Burgh said grudgingly, not looking Joel in the eye. He stormed off to go and heal his Pokémon. Joel turned to Ash, smiling.

"That was easy enough. I guess I'll see you when you're done. Me and Latias will be in Central Plaza at the pond. See you there, Ash! You'd better have that badge!" Joel said jokingly.

"See ya, Joel!" Ash replied, laughing. Maybe Joel could become the champion of Unova. Just maybe. But, like he had told Ash, you should never underestimate people.

* * *

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**If you have time, please leave a review!**


	21. Flashback 2: The Cannonball Run Part 2

_**Las Vegas**_

"Shit, Lou, that was close."

"No crap. What do we do now?"

Joel and Lou had been forced to hide out in an abandoned residential building after the police had ambushed them and the other racers on their way in to Las Vegas. A lot of the competition had been arrested, but Joel and Lou had got away. Their cars were parked in the street behind them, and they had been watching the scene unfold for the last half an hour.

"Well, we can't stay here forever. The guys who weren't caught could at least be in Chicago by tomorrow of they push for it."

"Chicago? You really think that they're that good?"

"Don't underestimate people, Lou."

"Whatever... Heh, look at that guy in the Honda!" Lou laughed, pointing to a man who was being wrestled out of a sports car.

"Isn't that the guy I was parked behind?" Joel replied, recognising the Honda S2000.

"Well shit, so it is." Lou continued. They kept talking about the people they could see for a while, until they were suddenly interrupted.

"This is the police. Is anyone in there?" A voice behind a door downstairs shouted.

"Shit!" Joel half whispered.

"Now what?" Lou replied. They had to act fast; if the police heard them, they would most likely be shot if they ran. If they didn't show themselves, they would take their cars and they would be stuck here. It was a long walk back to San Francisco. That ruled out waiting. They had to think of a plan, and quickly.

"Lou, stay here. I'll go round the side and try to take them out. Err.. The problem is.. You'll need to be a distraction. Which means you'll need to open that door." Joel whispered. Lou seemed less than amused.

"Jesus Christ, I thought you were insane, but this is a whole new level of fucking bullshit."

"Please, just trust me."

"Fine. But if they shoot me, I swear to God I'll kill you in heaven." Lou said sarcastically. Joel smiled, and climbed out the window and on the roof of the two story building.

Joel crouched and slowly and quietly walked over the roof. He dropped down on to the street, out of sight. Joel heard the door open, and a series of shouts by the policemen.

"Put your hands in the air!" One of them shouted. One if them must have handcuffed Lou, as he heard a door being opened, and Lou get shoved in. He had to act now, otherwise Lou would be gone.

"Wait. There's another car here. Why?" One of them asked. It was a female voice. Lou didn't reply; Joel could imagine him looking around, his face turning red. "As if I should have known. Where are you, old friend? Care to come out?" Joel recognise the voice, and his blood turned cold. He didn't know what to do next; he couldn't face her. Not here, not anywhere. But, he had to. He had to, if he wanted Lou to live. He walked around the corner, and looked her dead in the eye.

"Oh, hello there! If I remember, I don't think we were formally introduced at our last little meeting, were we?" The woman wore a thick black coat and tight jeans. She had the same grey hair, but she looked older and stronger. "My name is Augustine Simmons. You?" She said sarcastically.

"Fuck you." Joel replied, spitting on the ground. The woman walked up to him.

"That's not a nice thing to say now, is it? Now, if you don't come with me, your little friend over there might get hurt. And you wouldn't want that, would you? You little bastard!" She shouted toward the end of the sentence. She slapped Joel in the face, knocking him over. "I was forced to crawl back all those miles in agony because of what you did yo me! And you're going to pay, pay with blood. I crawled miles back to Los Angeles with broken and bloody legs, and it's time to get my revenge." She continued, with a mad smile on her face. "Get up, and get in the police car. As for the other guy, slash his tires and shoot his legs. He can crawl to hospital. You, take the silver car." Augustine pointed at each thing as she said it.

Lou was dragged out of the car, uncuffed, and one of Augustine's 'police' bodyguards shot his legs. He screamed out in agony, and fell to the ground. Another bodyguard slashed the tires of the black Shelby. A third got into Joel's Artega, and a fourth handcuffed Joel and shoved him into the back of the police car. He climed into the front with the bodyguard who shot Lou. Augustine climbed into the back with Joel. She asked him questions, but he didn't reply as they travelled to a 'police station' out of Las Vegas.

Joel would get revenge for this. He just needed time and the right moment to strike. He would kill Augustine with a cold heart and bloody hands, and he didn't care about the outcome. The bitch would pay for what she did.

* * *

**Thanks for reading my story!**

**If you have time, please leave a review!**


	22. Chapter 19: Daycare Troubles

"Ash, are you sure this is the right way? I think we should have taken a left turn back there."

_'Trust me, Joel. Knowing Ash we should have gone a different way entire when we left Castelia. He's really that bad at navigation.' _ replied Latias, speaking to Joel and Ash.

"Urgh... I'm sure this is the right way!" Ash replied angrily.

'Well, there's got to be something up here. I can smell humans and Pokémon.' Garchomp told Joel.

"What did he say?" Asked Ash. To him, Garchomp sounded like he was repeating a few syllables of his name.

"He says that there's something up here that smells like humans and Pokémon."

"Huh. Maybe we did go the right way after all!" Ash said in a mocking and sarcastic tone.

"Doubt it." Joel replied. Ash just sighed and continued on over the crest of a hill. He stopped at the top of it.

"What is it, Ash?" Joel asked.

"Come quick!" He replied. Joel, Latias, Garchomp and Zoroark ran up to the crest of the hill and smiled when they saw what was down there. There was a small house with a large garden full of trees and Pokémon behind it. There were a few people there feeding the Pokémon.

"A daycare centre!"

"Do you think they'll have water and food?"

"Maybe. We could rest there for a bit; we've been travelling for hours..."

'Race you guys down there!' Garchomp shouted. He ran down the hill at a very fast pace.

"What did he say?" Ash asked, watching the blue landshark get smaller and smaller.

"He wants a race..." Joel said, sighing. Garchomp hadn't lost his overexcited nature from his evolution. The three continued down the hill until they reached the door of the daycare, where a woman was standing, patting Garchomp's head. She smiled at Joel.

"Is he your Garchomp? If so, he's unusually friendly."

"He's just got a hyperactive nature." After a few seconds, Joel continued. "We stopped here to take a rest. Do you have any food or drink? We've been travelling for hours."

"We do. Do you want to come to the garden and take a rest?" The woman asked. She led the group into the garden and they sat down at a table. "My name is Lena, by the way. I own this daycare with my father. Well, I say daycare, it's more like a home for Pokémon who were injured or abandoned. We barely ever get travellers around here."

"Abandoned Pokémon?" Asked Joel and Ash.

"Yes... Unfortunately, it happens more often than not... At least we can give them good homes here, until someone eventually comes along. Anyway, where are you guys from?"

"My name's Joel and.." He continued to stick to his original chosen location. "I'm from Hoenn. This is Ash, from Kanto. This is... Errr... Latias... From Johto. You've already met Garchomp, and Zoroark.. Where is she?" Joel said, looking around. The woman must be like Hilbert; she didn't recognise the names of and legendary Pokémon from different regions. Good.

"Would you excuse me for a second? I just need to find Zoroark." Joel asked everyone.

"Of course. Just be careful with some of the Pokémon, some aren't that friendly with strangers. Joel nodded, and wandered off into the woods.

* * *

"Zoroark? Zoroark! Argh, were could that damn fox be?!" Joel shouted. He had been wandering though the woods for some time. He was currently in a clearing with a waterfall at one end. "I know you can hear me, Zoroark." Joel continued. Either Zoroark was toying with him, or she was in a different part of the forest entirely. Suddenly, a though struck Joel, and he slapped himself in the face. "Idiot, idiot, idiot! Why didn't I think of that?!" Joel cursed to himself. He transformed, hoping he would be able to sense her with Psychic powers. He did this for around five minutes, until he gave up and floated down to a rock, perching himself on it. He tried to think of all the other places where she might be, when he felt something curl around his wing, and yank him backwards. He craned his neck to be met with the face of a green, serpentine Pokémon. Joel tried to escape the snake's grasp, but it was too strong.

'Let... Me... Go!' Joel shouted to the serpent. It didn't reply. Instead, it slithered off, with joel wrapped inside it's curl, towards a different part of the forest.

* * *

'Look, why do you even have me? What do you want from me?' Joel repeatedly asked the serpent. It hadn't even spoken, it had instead dragged him to another clearing, as if waiting for something. Joel's semi-prayers were answered when he saw a bipedal black lizard-like Pokémon walk into the clearing. It spoke.

'What are you doing? Let him go, you know how tough your grasp is. What even is it?' The lizard said.

'I don't know. I found him sitting in a rock, mumbling about a Pokémon.' The serpent replied, releasing it's vice-like grasp on Joel, dropping him onto the floor. The lack of blood flow meant Joel could barely lift himself off the ground.

'The hell was that for?!' Joel shouted to the two odd Pokémon.

'Shut it, little guy. We'll tell you in a minute.' Said the lizard. Joel could tell from their voices that the lizard was male and the serpent was female. Ironically, Joel was the same height, if not taller than the lizard. Joel was about to reply, but he decided against it when he saw the giant axe-like protrusions on the side of the lizard's face. He looked like one not to piss off. After some waiting, the lizard spoke again.

'Urgh... I suppose we can wait for Samurott to come back. What are you?' The lizard said, looking at Joel with his beady red eyes.

'Umm... Latios. I'm a Latios.' Joel said sheepishly.

'Latios? Never heard of a Pokémon with that name. By the way, I'm Serperior and this is Haxorus.' The green serpent replied.

'Where are you from?' Asked Haxorus. His black body shimmered in the light.

'Um.. Johto.' Joel said, choosing the home of Latias.

'Johto? You're a long way from there. Why are you here? Did you get lost from a pack?'

'Well, that's a long story. As for a pack, well, there's only one of me. Well, technically two.'

'You mean you're a legendary?'

'Yeah...' Joel said, scratching the back of his neck. 'Anyway, why did you wrap me up and bring me here?' Serperior was about to reply, but she was stopped by a shape that slowly came through the trees.

'Serperior brought you here because the forest is dangerous. Normally docile Pokémon are attacking each other. It's too dangerous for a rookie like you.' The voice belonged to a large blue Pokémon with long whiskers protruding from its face and neck. It had some kind of shell as a helmet. On it's legs were gold plates sheathed in which were gold swords. It had some small teeth protruding from it's blue muzzle and it had red eyes like the other two.

'Who's this?' It asked. This must be the 'Samurott' Haxorus and Serperior were talking about.

'This is Latios. I found him in the forest. He didn't look corrupt.' Serperior replied. Samurott looked at her and nodded. 'He's from Johto. Said something about a long story.'

'Look, before I fell you it, can you at least tell me why I'm here in more detail?' Joel said in a pained voice. Samurott looked at Joel and spoke.

'There's been some odd things going on with wild Pokémon recently. They've been randomly attacking each other. It's like they're going insane for some reason. And, it's not all of one species. It happens randomly. Us three and a few others grouped together to try and survive out here, but the others haven't come back for weeks. They left to try and find other Pokémon like us - not corrupted. We worry that staying in this forest for too long will drive us to insanity.' The blue sea lion said.

'Odd things, you say?' Joel replied. This sounded a lot like results of the supposed 'disturbances' happening. 'Anyway, I suppose I had better get on with my story. I've got plenty of time.' Joel hoped that the others wouldn't worry about him. Then again, Latias did seem more attached to him than before at the moment. She would probably start to be worried eventually.

'Well...' Joel explained his story to the three Pokémon, who stared at him in wonder, amazement, confusion and suspicion. The whole thing must have taken him around an hour. 'So, I suppose you all have some questions. Ask away.'

'What do you mean; the other side of the barrier?' Serperior asked, her red eyes staring at Joel in confusion.

'Like I said, the rest a barrier between this side if the world and the other, where I was from.'

'That is odd... And to think that you could find the cause of these disturbances. We could use someone like you. Vice versa.' Said Haxorus. The black lizard had sat down on a rock a while ago. Samurott was lying on the ground and Serperior was still standing tall.

'You mean you want to come with me? To find the cause of the disruptions?'

'Yes.'

'Let me think about it for a few minutes.' Joel said. The three nodded and Joel turned away to think. He was scratching his throat in thought when he heard Samurott's voice behind him.

'Hey! Get off me!' The sea lion shouted. Joel turned to see a familiar black and purple mane clinging to Samurott's back. Joel saw Haxorus stuff!blue forwards as a blue finned Pokémon jumped onto his back. Serperior shot over to Joel in an attempt to protect him.

'Well... I suppose I found Zoroark... But what's Garchomp doing here?' Joel said. He transformed without warning and began to walk towards Zoroark who was in the process of being prised off Samurott's back. He was stopped by Serperior who pulled him back into a grip.

"Hey, let me go, Serperior! They're my Pokémon!" Serperior's face seemed confused, and she slightly released her grip on him. Their eyes were drawn towards a group of people who Joel recognised.

"Pikachu! Use Thunderbolt!" Ash shouted, directing Pikachu towards Serperior.

"Oh SHIT, not agai-" Joel shouted, but he was cut short as the attack engulfed him and Serperior in yellow electricity. The volts of energy seats through Joel and Serperior's bodies, and when the light retracted, they we're eboth lying on the ground, in pain.

"Ash, what did I tell you about attacking me!? And why did you even attack us!?" Joel shouted angrily, looking at Ash and Pikachu. Zoroark was pinned under one of Samurott's feet and Haxorus had somehow wrestled Garchomp to be under him, pinning him against the ground so he couldn't attack.

"Sorry, Joel, it's ju-" Ash said awkwardly, but he was cut short by Joel's rage.

"You know what? Never mind, I'm going." Joel said, storming off in a blaze of rage into the forest. When he heard footsteps behind him, he continued. "And don't even think about following me! Come back when you're ready to apologise." Joel said, spitting at the ground. He continued to walk until he was out of sight. Samurott, Haxorus and Serperior managed to hold Zoroark and Garchomp off for long enough to escape their attacks. They heads in the general direction of Joel.


	23. Chapter 20: The Spirit and the Angel

"Why, why did I need to do that... Why is my life like this? Pain and terror everywhere. I try to avoid it but it comes back, not to mention I give it to people that don't need it. Urgh, if only I wasn't so violent and torn up in getting vengeance on Augustine... No. That's in the past. This is my future. I can shape it, no one can hurt me."

Joel had been sat on the rock overlooking the cliff for hours, considering his actions. He had been clutching one of the only things that was a true possession of his - a chain that Dmitri had given to him when the two of them were just tearaways from society. Just helping each other, running, surviving. No troubles at all. The chain itself could barely fit in Joel's pocket, it was long and fairly thick. God, why did they have to do the heist. Then again, Dmitri was always a risky person. He would have done it anyway. It was all his fault; the deaths of his friends, his realisation that he left Lou for dead in Las Vegas; that he caused the crash that forced him out of America a few years later in Los Angeles. Everything; wherever he went, just nothing but bad results. Maybe he should just leave Ash, let him take care of Garchomp and Zoroark, they didn't need him. _No, I may be an outgoing, idiotic, careless dick, but I don't break promises. Garchomp is my friend, and so is Ash, and I'm not leaving them. _He would stay here and stop the strange things going on in this world. After that, he might get vengeance, if he hadn't given up the though of coldly killing Augustine. He was interrupted from thoughts of revenge by a familiar voice.

'Joel?' Asked Serperior. She had obviously found him. Joel turned his head to the side slightly.

"I suppose why you're wondering what happened back there." Joel replied in his gravelly voice.

'No. Just if you hadn't got lost, and been eaten by a rogue Hydreigon.' She replied sarcastically. She slithered up to perch beside Joel. 'So. Have you decided if we can help you?' Joel paused for few moments.

"Sure. I could use some Pokémon like you. You'd be a great help. Do you know where the others are?" Joel heard Serperior sigh happily, and she replied.

'I'm not sure. We didn't follow them after your two Pokémon attacked us...' She emphasised the 'attack' part.

"Sorry about that. Garchomp and me are very strong friends, and Zoroark is so loyal she's predictable."

'It's fine. None of us were hurt.' Serperior replied. 'What's that chain for?' She asked, inquisitive at the long metal object.

"Something that a friend gave to me a long time ago." Joel said. Taking the hint, Serperior didn't ask any more about it. "Where are the others?"

'They were with me, but we split up a while back to try and look for you. They should be in the general area.'

'Or, perhaps we can hear you now.' Said a voice behind them. Joel and Serperior turned around to see Haxorus and Samurott standing there. Joel didn't reply, but he just turned back to look out at the nighttime view of the forest.

"We shouldn't stay here for much longer. Urgh.. I'm really tired, actually." Joel said, hit by a sudden wave of sleepiness. "We should probably... Go back to the daycare centre."

'Daycare?' Samurott asked. Joel must have ventured further than he thought, if the three Pokémon hadn't heard of the daycare.

"It's north. Outside the forest." Joel sighed, barely able to get up from the lack of energy. He stumbled and rested against a tree.

'I have to say, for a legendary Pokémon, you have terrible stamina. I suppose you're going to want a lift back, aren't you?' Samurott sighed. Joel just laughed and nodded. He climbed aboard Samurott's smooth blue back, and soon fell asleep.

* * *

_Take them out. Spare him, though, he looks_ _useful. _

Joel awoke with a jolt from another recurring nightmare. He was in an unfamiliar room. Serperior was asleep in the corner of the room. There was some commotion in the room across. He climbed out of bed, pulled on his cap, and walked into the front room. There were two sofas and a table. Everyone was sat around it. Ash smiled, bit then stopped himself, reminded of the events that occurred last night.

"You... you're not still mad, are you?" Ash quietly said. Joel paused, then sat down next to the sofa seeing as there was no room on either of them.

"Nah, sorry about that, Ash. I just overreacted. As usual, b-" He was cut short by Ash.

"Bad past? Um, Zoroark, Samurott and Haxorus might have told us about those 'extra events' that happened." Joel seemed pissed more than ever for a second, and Ash was ready to jump up and run, but then his look softened.

" Hm, I suppose that's fine. I should've told you them anyway. At least you know why I'm so... Unpredictable... now." Thankfully, Garchomp changed the subject.

'Hey, Joel, shouldn't we be going to the gym soon?' Garchomp asked. Joel looked at Ash and could tell he wanted to know what Garchomp said.

"Gym. We should be going to Striaton City soon."

"Umm, we're actually in Striaton City now, Joel. The daycare lady didn't have any room, so we had to leave. Thankfully, Striaton was only a few miles down the road. Guess I wasn't so bad at navigating, huh?" Ash said.

"Please, Ash. You know that's a lie. Also, I assume that wwe're all friends now?" Joel said, looking at the Pokémon sitting in the room. They all nodded, then Haxorus spoke.

'A gym? As in, battling?' The large black lizard said.

"Yes. Apparently the one in Striation is going to be easy, according to some people in Castelia City." Joel said. Haxorus smiled and looked at Samurott.

'A battle! This is going to be fun!' Samurott, the more sensible and mature of the three, tried to sound interested in Haxorus' excitement. He changed the subject.

'Is Serperior still asleep?' He asked, his long whiskers bouncing up and down.

"Yeah, she was in the corner when I woke up. I should probably go and wake her if we want to get any kind of training done." Joel said, pulling on his weathered trenchcoat and walking into the bedroom. Serperior was still asleep in the corner, her leaf-like ears curled backwards. Joel walked up to her and was about to tap her when he remembered the 'accident' with Zoroark. _No, Serperior isn't as.. wary... of other people. _Joel tapped the green and gold serpent on the head a few times, and she slowly opened her red eyes. She looked up at Joel and smiled.

'Oh, hey Joel.' She said, lifting up her long body and stretching her muscles. Joel smiled and went back into the front room, and she followed.

"So? Shall we go?" Joel asked everyone. This was followed by nods and replies of 'Yes' and 'Sure'.

"We should go to the Pokéball factory first to buy some new balls!" Ash said, wanting to spend his extra money to try and help fill up his Pokédex. **[1].** Samurott, Haxorus and Serperior gave Ash confused looks. Still being wild Pokémon, they had no idea what Pokéballs were.

"I'll explain on the way, don't worry. If you're like Zoroark or Garchomp you won't spend much time in them anyway." Joel said. Ash got up and opened the door. He waited for everyone to come out, with Haxorus and Samurott barely able to get through the door because of their size. Eventually, the group left the hotel and headed for the large circular building that was the Pokéball factory.

* * *

"Wow, this place is huge!" Joel said, gazing at the massive interior of the factory.

_'Who would've thought that there's over five thousand Pokéballs shipped across the world every month... Just from one factory!'_ Latias continued.

"We should go and find the manager. Maybe we'll be able to get a good deal of we ask nicely!" Ash said expectantly.

"I doubt that, Ash. He probably doesn't even have enough free time to leave his office, never mind give away discounted Pokéballs..."

"I assume you're talking about me?" Said a gruff voice behind the group. Joel and the others turned to see a short, plump man with a crisp suit standing there. "Oh, allow me to introduce myself. I am Robert Silph, the face of SilphCo. Most people know me as Silph." He said, smiling.**[2].**

"SilphCo? What are you doing in Unova?" Ash asked.

"We opened this new Pokéball factory a few months ago in an effort to expand our services and research further. And, I happen to have enough time to give away discounted Pokéballs, which is a bonus." He said, with a slight smile on his face. "Follow me to my office, I may be able to help you."

Before anyone could reply, Silph led the group up a long glass staircase to an upper level. A wide, frosted glass door automatically opened to reveal a large office with a drinks machine, a television, some sofas and a desk which had a computer on it. Silph sat behind his desk while everyone else sat on the sofas and floor.

"So, you want some special or rare Pokéballs, no doubt?" Silph asked, eyeing Ash and Joel. They tried to seem eager but not pushy. Silph just smiled, went over to a locked set of cupboards on a wall, and began to search the hundreds of cases inside it.

"Now, somewhere in here I two different types of prototype Pokéball which each have differences about them. We've been developing them for a whole, but need someone to trial each type.I'm hoping you could help us out." He said, finally pulling two different metal cases from the cupboard. He played them down on a coffee table, and sat down on the sofa opposite Joel and Ash.

"In this case is a set of six Sprit Balls. They have been designed to boost healing capabilities of normal Pokéballs." Silph said, pulling a jet black Pokéball from the case. "Their 'sister ball', so to speak, is the Angel Ball. They have been deigned to give Pokémon a more natural and enjoyable experience inside the ball." Silph pulled a brushed steel Pokéball from the second case. Unlike the Spirit Ball, which was all black, the Angel Ball had an emerald button instead of a brushed steel one.

"Now, Ash, I want you to trial the Spirit Balls and I want Joel to trial the Angel balls. Come back to Striaton at some point to tell me how you're getting on." Silph put the case of Spirit Balls in Ash's hands and the set of Angel Balls in Joel's. "You can try them out now, if you like. A simple crossover of information in another of our prototype machines, the Ball Exchange, should do the trick. Put the previous Pokéball in this side and the new ball in the other." Silph put the large machine on the table. One side read 'Current' and the other read 'Future'.

Ash use the machine first. He placed a normal Pokéball belonging to Buizel in one side and the new ball in the other. He pressed a button in the centre, and both balls glowed green momentarily. Ash took the Spirit Ball and released Buizel. He seemed quite confused from the experience of being digitally transferred.

'What was that?' He shouted.

"How do you like your new Pokéball, Buizel?" Ash said happily.

'Err... Umm, good. It was different. Nicer.' He said, still confused. Ash returned him to the Pokéball and repeated the process until he was done. Now it was Joel's turn.

"Zoroark, Garchomp. Youret going to have to come in these for a few seconds." Joel said unhappily. He knew the poor Pokémon didn't like the balls. They both grumbled, but agreed to go into the balls. Joel repeated the process that Ash did, and the two Pokémon didn't burst out of their balls instantly. Joel had to press the button to release them.

'That's... Different, better. It's almost as if the ball knows the perfect habitat of every Pokémon.' Zoroark said, surprised at how nice the ball was. Garchomp didn't have anything to say, and Joel returned them to the Pokéballs. Now he had to capture Samurott, Haxorus and Serperior as they were still wild.

"Ok, guys. Your turn now. Try not to struggle, as I don't know if it would break the balls or not." Joel said. Before any of them could respond, Joel threw and Angel Ball at each of them. All three shook violently for around half a second, but then all three calmed down and stopped shaking. Eventually there was a *click!* from each ball. Joel picked them up, and put them into his pocket along with Zoroark and Garchomp's balls.

"Well, um, thanks, Mr. Silph. We appreciate it." Joel and Ash both stuttered, not knowing how to respond to the act of immense kindness. This man had just trusted some priceless prototype Pokéballs with a teenager and a novice.

"There's no need to thank me. Oh, and Joel, I have one more gift for you." Silph said, holding out a strap with six straps on it. It was some kind of arm bandolier for Pokéballs. "It may come in useful, seeing as you don't have a bag. Joel took the bandolier and strapped it to the outside of his coat. It started at his wrist and ended at his elbow. The end of it stretched over his hand like a cover. He took Samurott's ball from his pocket; it happened to be at the top, and strapped it in the bandolier. Despite the size of the balls, it didn't look bulky or out of place. He proceeded to strap each Pokéball into the bandolier. When he was done, Ash and Joel thanked Silph again, but he was more grateful than them. He said one more thing before they left.

"And remember, come and visit me sometime!" He shouted to the door as it closed.

"Well, we got more than we expected." Joel said, examining the bandolier.

"To the gym?" Ash asked. Joel replied with a 'Yes' and Latias nodded eagerly. They left the factory and went off to hint for the Striaton City gym.

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**:O 20 chapters!**

**[1] I know there isn't actually a Pokéball factory in Striaton in the games and anime, but this story is set a few years later, so the cities have all developed in some kind of way.**

**[2] I couldn't find the name of the owner of SilphCo. anywhere, so I called him Robert.**


	24. Chapter 21: The Collector

The four Pokémon had been doing what seemed to be training for hours. There were a couple of people who Damien assumed to be their trainers, but they had left, allowing him to film and take pictures of the group of Pokémon for a few hours. The one that piqued his interest was the Latios, it's colouring were odd, but not shiny. It was like someone had come and darkened a normal Latios and made it's neck and underbelly silver. It also had silver eyes that seemed to swirl and shimmer. Maybe he could try and capture it if the other Pokémon - a Samurott, Serperior and a shiny Haxorus - left the Latios alone for a few moments. He probably wouldn't be able to get it with his nets, but maybe his Ariados would be able to pin it down with a String Shot where he could weaken it. The four seemed to be talking to each other, and then the Samurott, Haxorus and Serperior went off into the forest, presumably to look for the two people from earlier. This would be his only chance. The Latios was currently scratching at a tree, generating enough noise to allow Melvin to sneak through the bushes and release Ariados. The spider Pokémon must've realised the plan, because it didn't cry out.

"Ariados, use String Shot." Damien whispered. The spider launched a thick string of web onto the unsuspecting legendary, and it was wrapped up and fell to the ground. It struggled for a bit, then craned it's long neck to see who it's assailant was. It used telepathy to talk to Melvin.

_"Who the hell are you and what do you think you're doing!?" _The miscoloured eon dragon shouted mentally. Damien didn't reply, instead ordering Ariados to continue attacking.

"Use Poison Sting!" Damien said. The Ariados ran up to the legendary Pokémon and stabbed it's neck with poisonous fangs. Damien, however, had found out that Ariados' poison also had an anaesthetising effect, which slowly pulled the struggling legendary to sleep. It also seemed to prevent Pokémon from using attacks.

_'What... What are you... doing...' _The Latios said, before falling to sleep. Damien pulled one of his nets from the bush, and proceeded to try and pull the net over the large Pokémon. He eventually did, and dragged it over to his bike which was waiting near a bush, with a trailer attached to it. He was about to ride off, when he felt a slice of claws on his back. He turned to see a very angry looking Zoroark. If he didn't ride off now, he wouldn't be able to add the Pokémon to his collection of rarities.

"Ariados! Use Megahorn!" Damien shouts over the growls of the fox. Ariados launched himself onto the fox, smashing his forehead into it's snout. It wouldn't be knocked out, but it was stunned, giving Damien enough time to cycle off with the trailer, the sleeping Latios inside it.

* * *

Ash and Latias had been following Samurott, Haxorus and Serperior hack to the clearing where they had been training. Whilst they were doing that, Ash and Latias had been looking around Striation, but had returned after the three Pokémon had said that they had finished training with Joel. They must've been walking for five minutes when Zoroark ran towards them in the opposite direction. She looked upset.

'What is it, Zoroark?' Haxorus asked the panting fox.

'A... a man. He.. he took Joel.' She said. Latias translated for Ash, in a state of shock.

_'Someone's taken Joel, we need to find him!' _Latias said, following the four Pokémon into the woods and back towards the city. Ash could barely believe what she had said, but he eventually followed her.

* * *

_Where am I? _Joel though to himself. He had woken up in some kind of room in a cluttered house with the man who attacked him hunched over a computer of some kind, typing away. Joel found that he was pinned down with metal restraints. He also, most worryingly, found he couldn't transform or use attacks, but he assumed it was the effects of this bastard's Ariados poisoning him. He rattled the metal restraints to get the attention of the man. He turned to Joel and he had a small goatee and dreadlocks on his jead., although there was a scruffy blue beanie covering them. He had a dirty black shirt and some grey trousers on.

"Ah! I see you're awake, at last. You were quote the one to pick up and carry onto my bike." He said in his lispy voice. "Allow me to introduce myself. I am Damien, and you've already met Ariados.." Damien said, chuckling. He was taking the whole thing like a game or a hobby.

_'What the hell was that for!? Let me go!' _Joel communicated to him.

"No can do, buddy. I'm a Pokémon collector. Which means I collected you. Which means you're mine. We can do this, two ways." He said, using lots of hand gestures. "The easy way involves you getting in the Pokéball. The hard way involves Ariados stinging you again. Which would you prefer?" He said sarcastically. Joel didn't reply, he just eyed Damien. "Well, I suppose that means the easy way." Damien said, picking up a Pokéball from a table. He walked over to Joel, and stood over him with the ball in his hand, smiling.

_Well, shit. I'm about to be captured by some psychopath collector._ Joel thought, as the ball touched his forehead. However, nothing happened.

"The hell? Why won't this damn ball work?" Damien shouted, repeatedly tapping the ball against Joel's head. "You can't be caught, you can't, come on dammit!" He continued desperately.

_'Release me and I can shoe you why it's not working.'_ Joel shouted, grinding his teeth together. Damien seemed to think for a few moments.

"Damn, fine." He said, releasing the restraints from Joel's neck, arms and chest. He immediately felt his powers come back for an odd reason. He floated off the bed to stand in front of Damien. He transformed in front of him, a sarcastic smile on his face.

"Well? What is it?" Damien asked Joel.

"Fuck you, buddy." Joel said calmly, slugging Damien in the face with his fist. He fell backwards against the wall, unconscious. Now, he just had to get out the house. However, Joel found himself drawn to the computer that Damien was working on. A page was open that read 'Nexus Industries - Sales'. The page was full of odd looking items, ranging from 'illegal' Pokéballs to restraints like the ones Joel had been strapped to.

"Looks like we got ourselves a black market business..." Joel said. Hearing a groan from Damien's direction, he left the computer and tried to find a way out. The most obvious way was the front door, and Joel found a set of keys on a table. He tried to door, and thankfully, it opened. He went out, locked the door and pushed the keys back through an open window. Now, he just had to find Ash and everyone else. There was still one Pokéball on Joel's custom made holster that Silph gave him, and it contained Garchomp. He released the blue land shark, and strapped the ball back into it's socket on the holster.

'Hey Joel! Where are the others?' The Pokémon asked.

"Well, I'll explain what's happened when we find them. Let's just get away from this house for now." Joel and Garchomp began to walk down the residential street in Striaton City. Hopefully they would find everyone soon, otherwise the gym would close and it would be another night in the hotel.

* * *

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	25. Chapter 22: An Evening in Striaton

Joel and Garchomp had searched everywhere for the others. It was harder than they first expected, a normal person wouldn't have thought it that hard to find two people being followed by four large Pokémon, two of which were shiny. Yet, they had been walking around Striaton City for hours, and it was getting dark. Looked like it would be another night in the hotel. Then again, at least they were away from that asshole Damien. Who knows what he was thinking, and how Joel had been stupid enough to not hear him.

Joel returned Garchomp to the Angel Ball given to him by Silph, put it back on the holster with the five other empty balls, and transformed. He flew up, but got distracted easily. This must've been the first time since he had come here that he had flown freely. Hopefully he would be able to find the others now. Joel turned invisible, and flew down to the tops of the houses and shops. Striaton, for a relatively small city, was fairly busy at night. The scents of food and sounds of happy conversation drifted up to Joel. None of them sounded familiar. But, for a split second, Joel heard something.

"If we don't find him soon, we should probably call the police. I hope he's alright." Said the voice below Joel. Looking down, Joel smiled. Ash, Latias and the others were sat around a fountain on a bench. There was a small copse of trees behind them, giving Joel the perfect way to show himself. He flew down, and his behind the trees. Making himself visible again, he slowly came out of the trees and tapped Latias on the shoulder. She jolted at the touch of Joel's sharp claws, but she turned and literally jumped off the bench and into his arms, sending him falling backwards. Haxorus was first to notice, as everyone else had been attracted towards a performing act in the street. Joel eventually prised Latias off his dark feathery body, and Ash and the others had noticed.

"Joel! Where have you been!? Zoroark said someone took you. What happened?" Ash asked. They were clearly desperate for answers.

_'Well, after Samurott, Haxorus and Serperior went to find you guys, I was practising attacks, and some asshole with an Ariados jumped me, said he was a 'collector'. Had some kind of tie with a black market, by the look of it.' _Joel mentally replied to Ash. Latias was still hugging him. She had seemed to have frown very attached to him recently.

"A collector? That can't be good... He'll probably be looking for you. How did you get away?" Ash asked.

_'Ehehe, Umm... I knocked him out. It was probably the only way I would have got out.' _Joel said, scratching the feathery tufts on the back of his head. Everyone seemed indifferent about this,they must've agreed with him.

By now, their conversation, mainly Joel's appearance, had attracted a large amount of the crowd on the street. They were in a semicircle around Joel, and were busy talking and taking pictures. Joel couldn't transform back here, he would have to pretend to be Ash's Pokémon. A boy who looked around eight broke away from the crowd and curiously walked up to Joel. His mother was about to stop him, but Ash spoke out.

"Don't worry about latios, he wouldn't hurt a fly!" Ash said jokingly. Oh, how Joel wished that were true. The boy looked back at his mother and she slowly nodded. The boy turned and slowly stroked Joel's feathery body. Joel just looked down at the boy and smiled. He then turned to Ash.

_'We should probably be off now. I don't want to be caught up all night with my... new fans.' _Joel said. He was tired, cold and hungry. How did they get away without someone following them? They would have to stay here for now. Some other people had come up to joel and were looking at him and petting him. As much as Joel was an introvert and hated people he didn't trust touching him, he was eventually enjoying the stroking of his feathers. In an attempt to escape his new friends, Joel floated over to Ash and the others, and lied down next to Haxorus, Samurott, Serperior and Zoroark, who had also attracted some attention, but not as much. For now, Joel was fine with people touching him;they should be happy he was in a good mood.

_'Can we go now, Ash? This is pretty annoying for me.' _Joel communicated to Ash. Seeing as talking might blow their cover somehow, he thought of transforming. Joel recognised the thought, seeing as he was technically sharing Ash's mind when he used telepathy, and Joel eventually got away from the crowd, and into a copse of trees. He would have to think of a new set of clothes to wear for the evening, as he didn't want the man from earlier, Damien, recognising him and making a scene about it. Deciding to go for a colour change only, Joel transformed. However, this time, his coat was a deep blue, like the colour of his feathers, and the pieces of leather on the shoulders were a white colour that seemed to shine. His jeans stayed the same, as well as his shoes, but his hat matched the colour scheme of his trench coat, and his balaclava was now all black. The turtleneck jumper he had been wearing was replaced with a cream hoodie that came over the small collar of the coat. After adjusting the coat, Joel want around the back of the trees, and went to rejoin his friends. He slipped through the crowds who were now drawn to Zoroark, Samurott, Serperior and Haxorus, and spoke to Ash. He didn't recognise him at first, but then saw he had changed colour.

"Ash, let's go. We need some rest for tomorrow. Where's Latios?"

"He flew off somewhere. Hell probably be back soon." Ash replied. So far, the plan was working.

"Urgh. He's always flying off. To the hotel?"

"Sure, let's go!" Ash said. He lifted up Pikachu and perched him on his shoulder. Joel returned Haxorus, Zoroark, Samurott and Serperior to their balls, and placed them in the holster with Garchomp's ball. Joel took Latias' arm and the three walked through the crowd, trying to avoid all the questions.

* * *

_**The next day**_

_The front of the car crumpled up as it hit the tree. He craned his neck to see his friend dead in the seat. The van that assaulted them had driven off. Someone was trying to open the door on his side._

Joel woke up to sunlight streaming through the blinds, and something clinging to his body. He turned his neck, and saw that Latias was practically hugging him. She was still asleep, but Joel assumed that her natural instincts had told her to find the closest heat source in the cold hotel. As usual, Ash had ran to the single bed, and Joel had released all his Pokémon the night before so they could sleep. From what Joel had been told by them, the Angel Balls were good, but you couldn't sleep in them.

Joel slowly prised himself from Latias' sleeping body, and shrugged on his hoodie and coat. At the moment, no-one else was awake. Joel looked at a clock in the bathroom; it was six o'clock. The gym opened at eleven. Leaving the bathroom, Joel went into the small lounge of the hotel and flicked on the TV. It was on a news channel exclusive to Striaton City. As expected, there was a report on about last night's events.

"... Last night, a rare legendary Pokémon known as Latios was spotted by many people who were enjoying the evening in the park. We have had lots of photos sent in by viewers of the strange and powerful..." The reporter said. Joel quickly slipped in a compliment to himself.

"Not to mention good-looking..."

"... Pokémon that is said to have originated from the Johto region. The question is, what is a legendary Pokémon from Johto doing here in Unova? Some reports from viewers say the Pokémon was travelling with a young boy, but others say they later spotted a man in a blue and white coat who owned the other four Pokémon there, asking a travelling companion about the legendary. Most reports now say that this mysterious, unnamed man has capture this legendary Pokémon. Just who is this man? Will we ever know?" The new channel cut to a different report on the legality of stat-boosting drugs in battles, and thankfully, Garchomp had woken up and came into the front room.

"Hey Garchomp." Joel said to the Landshark. He came and sat down on the sofa while Joel was making a drink for himself. "Are the others still asleep?"

'I think so. I saw Latias move a bit, so she might almost be awake. As for the others, they're still sound.' The landshark said.

"I should probably wake them if we're to get to the gym at all today." Joel said, walking back into the bedroom. He systematically went around waking all of them individually, much to the tired protests from all of them.

After a few hours, they were all ready to go, and left for the ornate building that housed the Striaton City gym.

* * *

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	26. Chapter 23: Striaton Gym

Joel and Ash pushed open the doors to the Striaton City gym. With Joel's coat flapping in the wind, and Ash's hair blowing about, and the shadows that were cast on them, they looked undefeatable. And, Cilan, Chili and Cress were their next opponents. The two walked up to the edge of the battle arena, and Latias followed them in, and she stood at the side, watching. The room itself had the feeling of a quaint tea shop in a village in the countryside.

"I assume you two are here to try and get the Trio Badge?" A green-haired man asked. He was stood on a small platform with two other men. One had red hair and the other had blue.

"Yes. And well get it with ease!" Ash replied, his ego overtaking composure and politeness.

"Is that so? You both must be new trainers if you're here. Let me introduce us. I am Cilan, the Grass Expert. This is Chili, the Fire expert, and Cress, the Water Expert. We will battle you dependent on your starter Pokémon. What starter did you choose?" Cilan asked.

"Neither of us chose normal starters. I have a Garchomp and Ash has a Pikachu." When the three heard the word "Garchomp", the bravado drained from their faces. They were most likely going to lose, and they knew it.

"Well... I suppose we can, um... do three battles. Doubles?" Chili said. He obviously wanted this to be over with.

"Doubles it is." Joel said with a smirk on his shaded face. Cilan came up to the edge of the battle grid and produced two Pokéballs from a pocket. He threw them, and released a Lillipup and a Pansage. The puppy and monkey looked ready to battle. Joel pulled two silver balls from their holster, and released Haxorus and Garchomp. He had decided to go with Dragon types mainly to jokingly scare and humiliate his opponent, but even though Cilan seemed even more scared of the two dragons, Lillipup and Pansage still looked ready.

"You get first attack." Joel said. Cilan nodded.

"Pansage, use Vine Whip! Lillipup, use Bite!" Cilan shouted. Pansage produced three long vines from his back, but instead of directly whipping Haxorus and Garchomp, he slammed one into the ground, creating a cloud of dust. He then launched the other two in Garchomp's direction, and they hit with a loud thud. Whilst the dust cloud was still there, Lillipup ran in and tried to bite Haxorus. However, he found he couldn't pierce the armoured dragon's plated skin.

"A critical hit from Pansage!" Cress said. When the dust settled, though, that was an entirely different story. Haxorus and Garchomp were still standing. Almost comically, Garchomp cricked his neck, and Haxorus scratched his leg.

"Alright, Haxorus, use Giga Impact! Garchomp, back it up with a Dragon Rush." Joel said to the Pokémon. Garchomp ran forward, impacting the ground with a flash of blue light. As soon as Garchomp hit the ground, Haxorus released a solid stream of orange light. There was an intense light, and bits of rock and rubble flew everywhere. When the dust settled, Garchomp was standing, looking at the fainted Pokémon lying in front of him. Garchomp slowly walked back over to where Joel and Haxorus were standing. Cilan just stood there, amazed at how quickly he had lost. He grumbled, and returned the two Pokémon. Joel did the same.

"Round 2! Joel vs Chili!" Ash shouted. He and Latias were standing at the edge of the arena. Chili gingerly stepped up to where Cilan had been standing, and produced two Pokéballs from a pocket. He sighed, and released the Pokémon. One was a Pansear and another was a Lillipup. This time, Joel released Samurott and Serperior. They both clearly wanted this to be over with, as Joel immediately attacked, telling Serperior and Samurott what to do mentally.

_'Serperior, use Leaf Storm. Samurott, use Hyrdo Pump.' _Joel said less than a second after the Pokémon had been released. The two attacks combined into a jet of water and leaves that smashed into both the Lillipup and the Pansear. Both were knocked backwards to the wall. After the water had 'settled', both Pokémon had fainted. Chili's face wore the same look as Cilan's. He returned the two Pokémon, and Cress stepped down. He was ready this time, even though he was going to lose, he was at least going to try. Joel returned Samurott and Serperior.

"Round three! Joel vs Cress!" Ash shouted. Going second gave him a chance to see the tactics that they used, if they actually had a chance to use any.

Cress released a Lillipup and a Panpour. Both Pokémon looked more battle ready than the previous four, and Cress looked more prepared that Cilan or Chili. And, he could sense Joel's tactic - hit hard and fast. Joel released Zoroark and Garchomp. Joel must have also sensed that Cress would know his tactics, as he mentally told Zoroark and Garchomp to use different tactics.

_'Zoroark, run around and get behind them, then release a Faint Attack. Garchomp, try and hit up front with a Dragon Claw.' _Joel said. Garchomp ran forward and tried to swipe at the two other Pokémon. However, Cress was ready.

"Lillipup! Panpour! Dodge it and use Bite and Water Gun!" Cress said.

He didn't see Zoroark's speedy black form jump on the chandeliers above, and she swiftly landed behind the two smaller Pokémon, who were about to attack Garchomp. Cress' eyes widened at the sudden entry of the black and purple fox, and Zoroark slammed her forearms, which glowed purple, into the ground, creating fissures that spread to Panpour and Lillipup. The two Pokémon didn't even see the attack coming, and the purple lines of energy hit them and exploded, forcing the two small beings out and into the ground, fainted. Unlike Cilan and Chili, who seemed annoyed at their loss, Cress was impressed. He had never seen tactics like that before. This was the kind of stuff that only legendary trainers like the man from Kanto, Red, knew. These were champion-toppling tactics. He smiled, and returned the fainted Pokémon. Joel returned Zoroark and Garchomp. Cress, Cilan and Chili walked up to Joel.

"You have earned this. This is the Trio Badge." Cress said, smiling. He pressed a gold badge with blue, red and green spots onto it into Joel's hand, along with a wad of money. "Those tactics you used... They were advanced. You have a champion's blood in you. I hope to see you at the Unova League soon." Cress continued. "We will be back in a few minutes." Cress said to Ash. The three left behind a door, presumably to heal their Pokémon.

"Well, good luck, Ash. I'm probably going to look around Striaton again. See you soon, with the Trio Badge." Joel said. He left the building to go and try and find something to spend the rest of his money on.

* * *

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**From noe on I'm probably going to give gym battles their own chapters, and they'll hopefully be a bit less one-sided, seeing as Striaton is usually the first gym you challenge in black/white.**

**My second story, Battlefield: Endgame, is now being written. Read it at ** s/10412918/1/Battlefield-Endgame

**Also, just before posting this chapter, I saw a review about how OP Joel is at the moment and how 'uninvolved' Ash and other characters are at the moment. I will balance things out the further I progress with this story, and there is going to be a plot twist that will involve Ash and might give him 'something'.**


	27. Flashback 2: The Cannonball Run Part 3

As usual, Joel had turned things balls-up. First, he got Lou shot, then got himself captured by Augustine. God knows where Lou was now, but hopefully some kind racer had picked him up and got him to a hospital. Maybe he would never see him again, maybe he would show up when Joel escaped. The thought of escape made Joel worried. By the look of the supposed police station they were in, the only way out was to destroy the place. It was more like a prison than a police station. Hopefully, Joel's car would be parked out the front. The one thing Joel knew for certain that he wasn't going to New York. After he escaped, people would be looking for him. He would have to head back to San Francisco. A knock on Joel's cell door pulled him from his thoughts. It opened to reveal two guards, backed by Augustine. Joel frowned, and looked down.

"Ah, Joel. You know what your problem is? You're too loyal, too bent on revenge, too... stupid. Predictable." Augustine said, tutting. Joel didn't reply, and kept his head down. "Get him up and follow me. We're going to have some fun." Augustine continued coldly.

The guards lifted up Joel, and he didn't even fight, he was too ashamed from betraying his friend to fight back at the moment. He just had to wait for the right time, and he would strike. Joel was led out of the cell, up some stairs, and into a room with a single light and a chair in the middle. There were some propane tanks in one corner, and a shelf unit with what looked like gas canisters, various tools, and some gas blowtorches. Knowing what was going to happen, Joel had a plan forming in his head. The guards put Joel on the chair, and left the room. It was just him and Augustine now. Nothing could stop her doing whatever she wanted to him.

"You know, Joel. I think that, instead of killing you, I'm going to use you. I think that you have the power to get across the barrier if you wanted to. I know you're different. I will... use you to get there. Just imagine, a new world, where no-one can stop you, where you can seize power." She said, producing an empty syringe from her pocket.

"Fuck you." Joel spat into the ground. He could easily kill her right here, right now. But he wanted her to feel pain. Augustine walked up to Joel and punched him in the face. Joel just smiled at her. Augustine shoved the needle back in her pocket, and walked over to the shelving unit, put of the range of Joel's vision. He heard something heavy being picked up, and he prepared himself for pain. The tool smashed against the side of his head, and he cried out in pain. The force of the metal turned his vision a sickly yellow for a few seconds.

"Can't... do the job yourself?" Joel said, gritting his teeth. He wasn't going to give in. Augustine walked around to the front of Joel, and she was holding a metal wrench. She smiled back, ampnd smashed it into Joel's head again.

* * *

Joel awoke many hours later, and, oddly, in his other form. He was surrounded by guards who had rifles pointed at his head. Augustine was stood over him, with the empty needle in her hand.

"You're awake at last." She said heartlessly. She leant down, and was about to stab Joel with the needle, when he crawled backwards. "Now, now. Its just a needle." She continued, as if she was talking to a baby.

Joel had to act now, if he didn't, Augustine would use him, then probably kill him. As been as he was in his other form. He remembered the pile of propane tanks in the corner, and prayed to God that they were full. He lifted one up with Psychic powers, and smashed it back down onto the pile with huge force. The room was filled with a bright orange light as the force of the impact instantly ignited the gas, and Joel was blown back into the wall. However, as been as he was so low to the ground, most of the flame passed over him and instantly incinerated the guards. Augustine seemed to be just beyond the range of the flame, but she was still slammed into the wall, knocked out. Joel slowly hauled himself up. He was badly singed in places, but there were no major burns. Knowing that he night not be able to fly out, as there would most likely be guards eeverywhere, and they would have definitely heard the explosion.

Joel transformed, and picked up one of the guard's guns. They definitely weren't polciemen or SWAT, Joel didn't know of any American police forces that use Tar-21s. The small little rifle fit snugly into Joel's hands, and he left the room, ready to fight his way out. He was almost immediately met by two guards, and Joel gunned them down, the advance Israeli weapon countering the recoil. He continued down the stairs, past the cell they Joel was in. A shout stopped him, and Joel turned, ready to fire. However, the shout came from a cell.

"Dude! Let me out!" Them an said. He was American, maybe from Chicago from his accent.

"How?" Joel replied.

"The handle on the door. You have to turn it in a certain way."

Joel tried twisting the handle in different ways, and eventually it opened.

"Thanks for that. I'm Aiden, by the way. Got a spare gun?" Aiden said. He was wearing a dark grey suit jacket with some matching grey trousers, and a crimson red shirt.

"No. Any more guards come, you'll get one." Joel said to Aiden.

The two continued through the dirty corridors of the building, and eventually they found the door. Joel slowly pushed it open, expecting more guards to be outside. However, there was nothing. Just a few parked cars, and Joel's silver Artega next to the car he had been taken here in. It wasn't locked, as he had the key in his pocket. He handed the gun to Aiden, and opened the door to the car.

"Why have you given it to me? Were leaving now." Aiden said, looking at the battered gun.

"I have a feeling were not done yet, and I can't shoot and drive. Get in." Joel said. Aiden ran around to the passenger side, and got in. Joel started the loud car up, and they left the courtyard that the building was in. Looking back, it was clear it was a warehouse, not a prison.

"So. How did you escape?" Aiden asked.

"Long story. If I can trust you, I might tell you. Anyway, I'm heading back to San Francisco, where do you live? I can drop you on the way."

"Well, I actually live in San Francisco. Lombard Street."

"Seriously!? Lombard street... I bet that's a pain in the ass driving up and down. I live just off Market Street, small lockup with an apartment. Ever been into street racing there? It's pretty serious stuff. Me and a buddy, Lou, did it for a few months. Built up quite a reputation. That was, until we entered the Cannonball in a few months ago and began to prepare for it... Lou got shot, and I don't know what happened to him."

"Why did Augustine want you?" Aiden said, wondering what the woman saw in Joel.

"Long story... I would rather not say, it's a... secret of mine." Joel said. He hadn't told anyone about his abilities, and he didn't plan to. They turned onto a highway, and mostly kept quiet until they were almost back in San Francisco. He turned down, off the highway, and headed for Lombard Street.

"Hey, Joel. Let's meet tonight, do some street racing. Where's the Market Street action at?" Aiden asked.

"Usually at a multistorey car park. You can't miss it. I probably won't actually do any racing, I can't risk anyone seeing this car... You never know who's with her. And yet, no-one has heard of her. Be careful." Joel said, pulling up to the top of Lombard Street. Aiden opened the door, and said goodbye, before closing the door and walking down the winding road. Joel pulled away, and headed back to his lockup of Market Street. It looked like, tonight, he was going back to the dragon's lair. And he couldn't wait.

* * *

**Thanks for reading my story!**

**If you have time, please leave a review!**

**This chapter concludes the second flashback scene.**


	28. Chapter 24: The Alpha Universe

Joel had just walked out of the shop when he bumped into Ash and Latias.

"Hey Ash! Did you win?" Joel asked, smiling.

"I did, it was _too _easy!" Ash said, showing Joel the Trio Badge. He put it back into his pocket and the three walked back through the city to begin heading to their next destination, Nacrene City. The route involved heading back the way they came but taking a turn and heading north before Skyarrow Bridge.

"So did you buy anything in there?" Ash asked.

'Yeah, I bought this, and strapped it to the holster Silph gave me." Joel said, turning his arm over to show a curved case that was attached to the black holster with his Pokéballs. "It's a badge case." Joel opened the top to show a red felt interior, with two of the eight spots filled. Joel snapped the lid shut, and they continued back Northwest to go to Nacrene City.

Joel was getting some odd and interested looks, he assumed that people had noticed him from the news report. Their group wasn't exactly hard to miss, a silent girl, a boy with a bright yellow Pokémon on his shoulder, and a man in a blue and white coat with silver Pokéballs sitting on his arm. Hopefully they wouldn't be asked to battle, as he expected people were looking for him, more specifically his Latios form. Joel lowered his head slightly in an attempt not to be noticed. Eventually, they got through Striaton and into the pathways connecting the city to Skyarrow bridge. After around half an hour, Latias slowed down and stopped, as if she was talking to someone. Ash and Joel noticed, and walked up to her.

"Latias? Is everything alright?" Ash asked.

_"Yes. Arceus... umm, Arceus wants you to come to the meeting we have every now and then, when something is wrong. He says that as been as you're here, you may as well come along." _She said.

"A meeting? Where?" Joel replied.

"And how can you talk to Arceus?" Ash continued.

_"In the Alpha Universe, Arceus' home. He can speak to every legendary Pokémon." _

"The Alpha Universe? How do I get there?" Joel asked. From the name, he assumed it was a place that couldn't normally be accessed.

_"A portal. Unfortunately, Ash can't come. We'll meet you in Nacrene City." _Latias said. Ash sighed, nodded, and continued up the route. _"I'll ask him to create a portal to the Alpha Universe near here. We should both be able to sense it when it appears."_ She continued. She paused for a few seconds, and them there was a strange sensation in the air. Latias led Joel into the forest, and he followed her. The odd sensation got stronger as the went deeper into the forest. Latias transformed, and motioned for Joel to do the same. He transformed, and a silvery portal was in front of him. He assumed that only legendary Pokémon could see it.

Latias went up to the portal, and turned to Joel.

'Come on, we haven't got much time before it disappears.' She said. She went through the portal. Joel followed suit, and entered the silverly circle.

* * *

Joel found himself in a room like the one his dream was in, apart from the fact it was half empty. Arceus wasn't at the platform in his dream. Latias was next to him, and Latios next to her. He nodded at Joel.

'Everyone should be here soon.' Latias said. Joel looked around, and saw a few more strange Pokémon near him. Lugia was conversing with a gold and red bird. A large, blue, four legged Pokémon was talking to a bipedal white and purple Pokémon next to it. There was also a bipedal red Pokémon next to a giant blue sea creature and a green serpent.

'Who are they?' Joel whispered to Latias.

'That's Lugia and Ho-Oh. Over there are Dialga and Palkia, and those three are Groudon, Kyogre and Rayquaza.' Latias said. 'Most of the others still aren't here. I hope Giratina won't be here this time..' She continued.

'Giratina?'

'He's the guardian of the Reverse World. He's also usually angry, hence why he isn't allowed into the normal world.' Latios said. He was older than Latias, so had stronger relationships with the legendary Pokémon. The three were silent for a while, and Joel continued to marvel at the room's exactness and attention to detail.

'So, this is the Alpha Universe?' Joel asked.

'Yes. Arceus lives here. He created this world, and all the other worlds to go along with them. But without the Alpha Universe, they couldn't exist.' Latios said. Joel nodded, and went back to his original train of thought. After some time, more Pokémon had arrived. They included a large white dragon, three four-legged Pokémon; one was green, one was blue, and one was brown, a black and blue deer with colourful horns, and a red and black bird-like Pokémon. Latios gladly explained the names of all of them. They were Reshiram, The Swords of Justice, Xerneas and Yvetal. They all floated or stood at various places in the room, which Joel noticed was like a semicircular Colosseum. Lugia must have noticed Joel standing with Latios and Latias, as he and Ho-Oh came over to him.

'Joel! It's good to see you. You've recovered well, I see. Let me introduce you to Ho-Oh.' The white bird said, raising his large wing and pointing at the red and gold bird.

'At last we can meet, Joel. I have heard rumours about you. I'm sure we will be good friends.' Ho-Oh said. They were interrupted by two new beings entering the room.

'So, the rumours are true! Arceus has made a mistake, for once!' A large, grey, flying, dragon-like Pokémon said.

'Urgh... Giratina. Just ignore him and Zekrom, and you'll be fine. They're both hotheads, but they can be broken. I know from experience.' Ho-Oh said, sighing. The two large black and grey Pokémon came up to the small group.

'Look at you. Tiny, weak. What made Arceus choose something like _you, _i don't know. He should have left the job to us.' Zekrom said, his thick black arms folded.

'Zekrom, leave him alone. You know that Arceus never makes mistakes.' Lugia said, putting his large white body between Joel and Zekrom. Giratina and Zekrom stared at Lugia, then grumbled and went to the other side of the room. Lugia returned to the group, but they were interrupted again by Reshiram.

'Um, sorry about that. Zekrom's been acting... oddly recently. He's not usually that angry. I'm Reshiram, by the way. I assume you're Joel.' The dragoness said gingerly. 'There's been a lot of talk about you.' She continued. 'If you need any help, just ask me.' She left the group alone, and went over to the Swords of Justice.

Eventually, Arceus joined them at the pedestal in the centre of the room. Everyone fell silent.

'I have invited you _all _to further discuss what is going on.' He said. 'Wild Pokémon have been attacking each other. We must hurry, or things will escalate out of control.'

'Please, Arceus, let me handle this.' Zekrom said.

'No. You aren't strong enough, and I have decided who will fix this already. You know that.' Arceus replied. Zekrom and Giratina cast dirty looks at Joel. 'Reshiram, has anything begun to stem out of control?'

'No. Everything's fine, at the moment.' The white dragoness replied.

'Giratina, are there any more disturbances in the Reverse World?'

'No. Still roughly the same amount, although they're bigger.' The grey dragon said.

Arceus considered this for a moment, then spoke.

'Thank you, all of you. You can leave now.' Arceus said, and a portal, similar to the one that they had come through, opened up. Lugia and Ho-Oh went first, and they were followed by everyone else. Joel, Latias and Latios went through last.

* * *

Joel and Latias came out of the other side of the portal onto some kind of populated park. There were people everywhere, and they were still in their original forms. It wasn't exactly hard to miss two legendary Pokémon appear of out midair, and people almost immediately noticed them, and began to take photos and shout. Joel grabbed Latias' hand, and pulled her up into the sky. They went and landed in a copse of trees just outside the park.

'That was _too _close. Of all the places that Arceus could have put us...' Joel said in a strained voice.

'Not to mention people will be looking for you, now that they know the 'mysterious legendary Pokémon' is in their own town.' Latias replied. 'Expect some battles.'

They both transformed and left the trees to join a road in the city that they assumed was Nacrene. Now, they just had to find Ash. Hopefully, he had just got into the city, and would be near the entrance, so they started there. Nacrene was a lot busier than Striaton, the museum there attracted thousands of visitors each year, and the battle club almost doubles that. Ash must be somewhere near either of the two places. They started at the Battle Club.

* * *

**Thanks for reading my story!**

**If you have time, please leave a review! Feedback always helps :)**


	29. Chapter 25: Revisiting the Past

"Joel! Latias! There you guys are! How long did it take you?" A voice behind Joel and Latias shouted. They turned around to see Ash waving at them, with a tired look on his face. They both smiled, and walked up to him.

"Not that long. We've been looking for you. It seemed pretty obvious where you would be." Joel replied, looking around the Battle Club. It consisted of a main arena with seating around the outside, like a sports stadium. "How long have we been gone?"

"A few hours, at least."

"A few hours!? But... we were only there for an hour at the most..."

_'I guess time flows faster there.' _Latias said.

"Anyway, I've entered the Battle Club tournament that's going to start, to try and get some training done. You want to join in?" Ash said, smiling.

"Um... Sure, why not. It'll give me a chance to see everyone's strengths and weaknesses. How strong would the people here be, do you think?"

"Stronger than the gym here. I've seen some pretty tough-looking trainers. You can sign up over there." Ash said, pointing to a cutout in the wall, where there was a woman standing with a computer and a clipboard. Joel left Ash and Latias and walked up to her.

"Hi, I heard that I can sign up for the tournament here? If so, I'd like to join in," Joel asked the woman.

"You can sign up here. Please fill in this form." The woman said, peeling a piece of paper off the clipboard, and handing it to Joel with a pen. He filled on the sheet. The fields to fill included 'name', 'home region', 'Pokémon being entered' and 'Gym badge count'. He handed the form back to her, and she gave Joel a card with his name on it.

"This is your registration card. You can use it to enter battles and tournaments, and to access the facilities any Battle Club in Unova provides. You've been entered into the Pro bouts, which begin in ten minutes. Have fun!" She smiled, and Joel nodded, and left to join Ash and Latias back at the edge of the arena.

"I've been entered into the Pro section. You?" Joel asked.

"Pro as well! Looks like we could be against each other! You're going down!"

"No chance."

A loudspeaker sounded, and a tournament table appeared in a screen. Joel saw his name second from the top, and Ash's almost at the bottom. Thankfully, they couldn't be battling each other first. For the first bout, he was against someone called Markus, and they were battling first. Joel left Ash and Latias to join the announcer in the centre of the arena.

"On the left side we have Markus from Kalos! On our right side we have Joel from Unova! When the klaxon sounds, round one begins!" The announcer said down a microphone. He retreated to the edge of the arena. Markus released his first Pokémon, a Chesnaught. Joel released Haxorus. He knew that if the brute of a Pokémon got a single hit on anyone apart from Haxorus or Samurott, he was in trouble.

The announcer sounded a klaxon, and Joel instantly began with a Giga impact. Haxorus launched a thick stream of bright light at Chesnaught, but the large Pokémon was still standing, albeit unstably. Markus retaliated with a Takedown, and Chesnaught sprinted forwards to slam into Haxorus, but he just managed to avoid it, and Chesnaught was sent into the spongy barrier at the side of the arena. What Joel didn't expect was for Chesnaught to respond to a hand signal that Joel didn't see, and continued the Takedown into Haxorus. The two Pokémon collided and Chesnaught landed on top of Haxorus. This was the perfect moment for a knockout.

_'Ok, use a Dragon Pulse. Point blank.' _

Haxorus unleashed the attack, and Chesnaught was shot up into the air with an explosion, and Haxorus just got out of the way before Chesnaught fell back to the ground, fainted. The crowd erupted into cheers that quickly died down.

Markus angrily withdrew the fainted Chesnaught, and Joel retrieved Haxorus. Markus withdrew another Pokéball, and this one contained a Reuniclus. Joel smiled, and slowly pulled a silver Pokéball off it's holster. He released Zoroark, knowing that the Dark type moves would do well against Reuniclus' pure Psychic type.

"Use Faint Attack!" Joel shouted, and Zoroark glowed purple, and shot behind Markus and Reuniclus. She jumped forward and attacked the flying glob of slime with glowing purple claws. Reunicles was instantly fainted from the dark attack.

Markus looked like he could explode from rage. He returned Chesnaught , and the battle was over as he only had two Pokémon.

"Round one goes to Joel of Unova!" The announcer said. "Markus is eliminated from the tournament!" Markus steamed off to join the other contestants, while Joel joined Ash and Latias at the other side of the arena. He saw something like respect, or recognition in the other contestant's eyes. Maybe they had heard about him from the events in Striaton.

* * *

The first round west on and on until it was time for Joel's second battle. This time, he was against a woman called Anne. From her previous battle, she used Grass type Pokémon, a Seedling, a Maractus and a Simisage.

"The battle is about to commence! On the left side we have Anne from Unova, and on the right we have Joel from Unova! Both these trainers have very different battle styles, but who will win?" The announcer shouted down the microphone. Yet he was wrong, nobody knew Joel's tactic. It was like him, changing and adapting to every situation.

Anne released Maractus and Joel released Samurott. The klaxon sounded and Joel struck first with Hydro Pump. Samurott shot a torrent of water from his mouth, but Maractus dodged it and retaliated with Giga drain. A thin stream of light hit Samurott, and he found himself feeling more tired by the second.

_'Use Razor Shell to break the beam!' _Joel said mentally. Samurott drew one of his seamitars and launched himself forwards, breaking the beam of energy and smashing the seamitar down onto the Maractus. There was a small cloud of dust, and when it settled, Maractus was lying on the ground, fainted.

Anne grumbled, and returned Maractus. Joel did likewise with Samurott. Joel decided to give Anne the upper hand, and released Garchomp first. She released Deerling. The tiny little deer seemed fragile compared to the size and weight of Garchomp. They were about to start when the lights began to flicker and fade randomly, until they completely cut off. There was quickly an uproar in the crows, with people wondering what what was going on. Joel retrieved Garchomp na drawn over to Ash and Latias, who seemed confused.

"What the hell's going on?" Joel asked.

"I don't know, but we should probably get out of here before anything bad happens." Ash replied over the shouts of the crowd. They headed towards the fire exit of the arena, and left into an alley next to the battle club. Returning to the road, it was almost nighttime, and the entire city was plunged into darkness. However, there was a voice that could be heard through a loudspeaker somewhere in the centre of the city. Joel, Ash and Latias ran over to the source, only to find it at the museum.

* * *

Jole stuttered and stopped walking , and Ash and Latias turned back to see a mixture of looks on his face, shocked, confused and pissed. The source of the look was coming from an woman standing at the top of the steps of the museum. She was surrounded by guards dressed in black clothes, who were looking at the crowd.

"... This is a new beginning, where Pokémon and people can become one and live in unity. Imagine, no pain, no illness, no death. All I need is your help and your Pokémon..." The woman said.

"Why should we hand over our friends to someone like you?" Shouted a man.

"Oh, why? I never asked you to. I'm forcing you to." She said. The guards grabbed hold of the man and took his Pokéballs off him. They pushed him to the ground, and one smashed the butt of his rifle into his solar plexus.

The crowd erupted in screams and shouts of fear, and many ran out of the square which housed the museum.

"Get out of here. Find a hotel, I'll come back soon. I'll explain later." Joel said to Ash and Latias, and ran down an alley before they could reply, and the entrance was soon covered by the crowd.

* * *

Joel jumped over a dumpster, heading up the alley in an attempt to get behind the museum. What he didn't expect was for a guard with a shotgun to round the corner, and for him to react and push Joel into a wall, with the shotgun pointed at Joel's neck.

"Come on, that's a bit too much force, isn't it?" Joel said jokingly.

"Hand them over, tough guy." The guard replied.

"No chance." Joel said with a smile. He reached up to grab the short shotgun, and it was flungout of his hands. However, the guard responded by putting two hands around Joel's neck, and he began to strangle him.

Joel's vision began to blacken and he felt himself weakening, when a sudden explosion behind him made the guard release his grip and fall to the ground, dead. After recovering his breath, he looked up to see that some kind of electrical junction box had exploded, and large chunks of the metal covering had come off, and penetrated his back and legs. Joel picked up the shotgun, and was about to continue on when he heard a tone coming from the guard's pocket. He reached down, and his fingers picked out some kind of black device that was around the size of a cheap MP3 player. There was a message on the screen.

**YOU CAN THANK ME FOR THAT, FRIEND_**

**FROM, YOUR GUARDIAN ANGEL_**

**DON'T GO AND KILL HER, IT IS TOO DANGEROUS. TAKING HER NOW WILL NOT STOP THIS_**

**COME TO NIMBASA CITY POKÉMON STADIUM A.S.A.P._**

The cryptic message illuminated the dark and wet alleyway. Joel's mind was conflicted, should he kill her, or listen to the person who had just saved his life? He eventually decided to return to the hotel. He shoved the communicator into his pocket with his ipod, keys and broken phone. He left the alley, and went to find Ash and Latias in one of the few hotels in the city.

* * *

Ash woke up from the loud banging at the window. The thunderstorm outside illuminated his shadow - a long coat and a cap. Recognising that it belonged to Joel, he pulled himself out of bed, trying not to wake Latias who was asleep in the other bed. He walked over to the window and opened it, letting in a soaked Joel.

"And where exactly have you been?" Ash asked. Joel ignored him and went over to the radiator and shrugged off his coat, placing it on it.

"Rediscovering my past."

"What? What are you talking about? And who was that woman?" Ash asked the question Joel and been dreading.

"That woman was... Augustine."

* * *

**Thanks for reading my story!**

**If you have time, please leave a review!**

**And yes, I did realise I posted the same chapter twice, I have now fixed that and 'Flashback two: The Cannonball Run Pt. 3' is now up.**


	30. Chapter 26: Guardian Angel

Joel took a sharp intake of breath when he jolted awake. Another nightmare with Augustine. Maybe his 'guardian angel' could help him. He got up off the sofa he had fallen asleep on. His Pokémon were still asleep, but there was one missing. He turned his head to the small balcony to see Zoroark crouching on the railing, overlooking the city.

"You know you shouldn't be out here. Those men might see you." Joel said sarcastically. If the unlikely event they did get captured, Zoroark would probably escape most easily.

'They can't touch us.' She replied. After some silence, she continued. 'Shouldn't we be going to Nimbasa city to meet your savour?' She said sarcastically. Joel left her, and went to wake the others, much to their protests.

He returned to the sofa and flicked on the TV, hoping to hear something about last night's events. A news report was on.

"... Last night a group that call themselves Nexus Industries reportedly cut the power to Nacrene City and caused rioting. Five people have been admitted to hospital after being trampled and beaten up by members of the group, while twelve more went to the police after their Pokémon were stolen. We will have more news when it becomes available. In other news, the mysterious man who was seen in Striaton City with a legendary Pokémon was reported to be participating in a Battle Club tournament before the blackout occurred. A man has come forwards with news about the mysterious cloaked man." The camera turned to reveal a very familiar face.

"Shit, why did he have to come forwards?" Joel said to himself.

"... So, Damien, you are a Pokémon collector?" Asked the presenter.

"Yes." Damien replied. He had a slightly bruise face from where Joel had knocked him out.

"And, you are saying that this man is actually the same Pokémon that people spotted?"

"Yes. Latios, and it's female counterpart, Latias, both have the ability to transform into people. When I saw him, he was wearing a black coat, but he must have changed colours as to avoid me. Also, take note of how the Pokémon dissapeared, and then the man appeared a mere minute later."

"So, do you think there eis anything special about him? He was reported to be speaking on both occasions."

"Yes, there is definitely something special about him. Normally, Latios and Latias can only use telepathy, but this one could speak. It also had some Pokéballs on some kind of strap. I think that it is actually training these Pokémon." Damien said. The news reporter nodded.

"That is all we have for news at the moment. We will return with more information about the incident soon." The screen faded to black and adverts began.

"Was that the man who tried to capture you?" Ash asked. Joel turned to see him standing over the sofa.

"Yes. Come on, we should be going." Joel said. He got up off the sofa, and retrieved his Pokémon. Latias was looking out the window.

"Everything alright?" Joel asked, putting his hand on her shoulder.

_'Oh, um, yeah. Everything's fine. It's just... Everything's going to change. I can tell.' _

"Things will get worse. Hopefully the person who saved me can help. Let's go." Joel said. He opened the door to the balcony, and transformed.

'_Come on, I can hold both of you. We can't exactly release Charizard here._'

Ash and Latias climbed onto Joel's back, and they set off towards the direction of Nimbasa city.

* * *

**Four Hours Later**

* * *

The city was dark. The lights were flickering on and off. It was like Nacrene's blackout, but it looked as if the power was slowly coming back on. Nexus had invaded with speed, the whole city was in complete lockdown. Right now, Joel, Ash and Latias were on a rooftop, when the communicator in Joel's pocket vibrated. A new message.

**DROP OFF YOUR FRIENDS AT MY APARTMENT. ROOM 42, NIMBASA TOWER. THE WINDOW IS OPEN_**

**COME TO THE STADIUM, YOU'LL FIND ME_**

**GOOD LUCK, OLD FRIEND. I'M HAPPY WE CAN MEET AGAIN AFTER ALL THIS TIME_**

"Apparently this guy has an apartment. I'll take you." Joel said, transforming. Ash and Latias climbed onto his back.

They flew over to what Joel assumed was Nimbasa tower - a large, cylindrical apartment block overlooking the city. One of the windows on the building was open. No others were, so Joel assumed it was Room 42. He pulled the window open a bit further, and lined up with the window for Ash and Latias to get off. He went in and transformed afterwards. The room itself was lit up by lights. It was clear someone was living here, there was magazines and books on the table. On a desk in the corner was a computer with books about hacking sitting on the tower. There was a cable coming out of it that presumably linked to some kind of device. There was a bathroom, four bedrooms and a kitchen through different doors.

"I'll be off. I'll return with this person. Try not to make any noise, or attract attention. Ok?" Joel said. Ash and Latias both nodded, and Joel transformed a flew out the window, heading towards the still-lit stadium.

**Ten Minutes Later**

Joel dragged the unconscious guard into the cupboard, and took his silenced pistol. This would be more useful than the shotgun that he left behind, he couldn't risk being heard.

He popped his head around a corner and saw two more guards. He had been searching the stadium for ten minutes, and he still had no idea where this person was. Joel chucked a pebble down the hallway to attract the attention of the guards. They took the bait, and cautiously went up to investigate. Joel snuck up behind them, and pistol-whipped one while using his fist against the other. He continued on up the hallway, towards the north part of the stadium.

He rounded another corner, and there was a man facing down a right hand turn with his hands in the air. Joel snuck up behind him, and peeked his head around the corner. What he saw made his jaw drop.

"And where the fuck have you been?" Said the man pointing the gun at the man with his arms in the air. He had a crisp grey suit with a crimson shirt.

'I.. I... What?" Stuttered the man with his arms in the air. He was silenced by a quiet shot from the mans silenced pistol.

"Come on. Let's get going, man." Said the suit man, walking past Joel, who still had an amazed look on his face. Joel eventually came to his senses.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I come over here to get away from this, and I then find Augustine, and then you fucking turn up? Aiden, can you at least tell me how the fuck you're here?" Said Joel calmly.

"I'll tell you when we're back at the apartment. Let's go kid. You want to get shot up?" Aiden said, leaving Joel.

"Fuck me, fuck my fucking life." Joel said to himself, shaking his head.

* * *

It was dark by the time Latias heard a key turning in the door. Ash had fallen asleep a while ago, and she had stayed looking out the window, with Pikachu asleep on her lap. As soon as she heard the key turning, she froze on the spot. The door opened to reveal a man in a suit followed by Joel.

"Hey, Latias. This is Aiden, an old friend of mine. I see Ash is asleep." Joel said.

_'He's been like that for a while. Where were you? I was worried.'_ Latias replied. Knowing that Aiden was a friend of Joel's, she relaxed.

"_I _was saving _his _ass." Mocked Aiden. He went and turned on the computer, and plugged in some kind of device similar to the one Joel picked up, and plugged it into the cable. He also produced a Pokéball from his pocket and carelessly but professionally threw it over his shoulder. A Staraptor appeared from the Pokéball. The large birds flapped it's wings, and stared at the new visitors.

"So... Seeing as you're here, Augustine should be easier to get rid of, so to speak. If we can just find a chink in her system..." Aiden said to himself, typing away on the computer.

"Woah, woah, hold up. I think you owe me an explanation seeing as _I _saved _your _ass." Joel retorted. They were friends, but if they hung out like friends did, they'd probably end up killing each other. After some consideration, Aiden turned and spoke to them.

"I suppose so. Well, after your mysterious disappearance, I decided to go and get revenge on Augustine. Turns out, she's gone mad with power in attempts to get across the barrier. From what I heard, you had some kind of power she wanted. Eventually she did get across, and I happened to be close to her at the time. By close I mean on the plane she was on close. When we got over, I ended up here. That was... around a year ago. I eventually learnt the ways of the land, so to say, and I met Staraptor here. Augustine hasn't been doing much until now, but it looks like her plan is world domination." Aiden said.

"The question is, what's she after?"

"That's exactly the point. What? By the looks of things, she wants to create some Pokémon human hybrid. A new race that will 'rule the world.'"

"The hell?"

"I know. She's been stealing Pokémon to try and harness their powers using some kind of machine. She's also established a network of radio towers and cameras that she tracks people with. I hacked into those, and I found you soon enough. That's why I knew it was you."

"So what now?" Joel replied. During their conversation, Latias had gone to sleep on the sofa, leaving Joel and Aiden to discuss business.

"You know what. We find her and kill her, take down her empire. It's going to be tough. I don't know where she usually hides, but her main operation is somewhere in Unova."

"Ok."

"Joel... Can you trust me?" Aiden said. Joel knew that he wanted to know what his secret was.

"Yeah. I guess I can."

* * *

**Thanks for reading my story!**

**If you have time, please leave a review!**


	31. Chapter 27: Fourth Time Running

"Ash, please, just listen. I know it's too dangerous, you know it's too dangerous. Latias agrees, so why can't you? Just go back to Kanto. This'll only take a few days, a week at most." Joel said in a attained voice. He had been trying to persuade Ash and Latias to go back to Kanto, where it was safe. Latias had agreed soon enough, after being reassured that Joel and Aiden wouldn't be hurt. However, Ash had been a lot more stubborn, saying he could help.

"Urgh.. Fine, I guess." Ash said.

"Thank you, at last. Latias, can you take him back to Altomare? I'll meet you both back there in a few days. Take these guys as well. I don't want them getting lost." Joel said, handing his ball holster to Latias. She nodded, and took Ash out of the apartment.

"Anyway, let's get down to business. Augustine has a communications tower set up here. It just happens to be the main one. If we take that out, we take out her eyes and ears. I should also be able to find the source of the communications, which should lead us right to the dragon's lair. You ready?" Aiden said.

"Never been more so." Joel replied, smiling. "Let's end this bitch."

"If you, err, fly over there, I guess, I should be able to source a weak point on the tower, where you'll be able to destroy it easily. The tower itself... I'm not entirely sure. There are more smaller towers around the city, which almost seem to be hiding the main tower's signals. I guess we can start with the one on the top of this building. I'll send you some more information once it's done.

"One minute." Joel said, opening the window and jumping out.

* * *

Joel enjoyed the cool wind whipping past him for a second, then transformed and flew back up to the top of the residential tower. Sure enough, there was a black metal radio tower of sorts perched on the rooftop. The dish on it was pointing out of the city, probably sending signals to other beacons like it. Joel pouted energy into a Luster Purge, and fired off a shot at the large tower. One of the supports crumpled, and them the whole tower buckled, and toppled over the edge of the building. He transformed back on the roof, awaiting a reply on the communicator. A few seconds later, it buzzed.

**Looks like the signals are clearing up_**

**Next one is at the funfair just north of you_**

**Try not to attract too much attention!_**

**I'm watching you_**

Joel smiled, and shoved the device back into his pocket. Attracting attention was exactly what he wanted to do. He knew Augustine better than Aiden. She would only reveal herself once she knew who was hunting her. That's when the hunter became the hunted. Well, not today. Not tomorrow, never again. In a few days they would have her pinned, and she would pay. Joel headed off towards the busy funfair.

* * *

Joel walked into the funfair, trying to get as much attention as possible. Sure enough, people began to notice him, with whispers and shouts of 'that's the man off the TV!' and 'Look! It's him! Ghost!' People were even using the name the media gave him; Ghost. Joel quite liked the name. Maybe he would officially adopt it when this was done. He transformed while walking to the building with the tower on, and fired off a Luster Purge into the back steel structure. It fell over, dead, like the other one. People were happily shouting and screaming. They clearly favoured him over Augustine. Another way that she would be drawn out. Joel transformed again, and eventually pulled himself put of the crowd's grasp. After some time, the communicator buzzed again.

**WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?_**

**I SAID NOT TO ATTRACT ATTENTION_**

**NOW WE'LL NEVER GET HER_**

Knowing that Aiden was in the system, he looked up at a camera that seemed to be moving erratically.

"This is the only way that we'll be able to get at her. This is what she wants, and we'll have to play her game for now. She probably knows both of us are here. Just... Go along with it for now, okay?" Joel sighed to the camera.

**Fine_**

**Next beacon's at the shopping mall_**

Shoving the communicator back into his pocket, Joel set off for the mall. Instead of flying, he walked. If he was going to attract attention, he may as well stand out. Sure enough, people were noticing him. He could see the beacon now, it was sitting on the top of the mall. Joel transformed and flew up to face the black metal abomination. He fired off another Luster Purge into the tower, and I crumpled and died like the others. He transformed again, and sat with his feet hanging over the edge of the squat building housing the mall.

**That's the last one_**

**Looks like the signals are coming from inside the stadium_**

**Be careful, this one will be guarded, I'm sure_**

**See you back at the apartment_**

**I'll be watching you all the way_**

"The stadium? Makes sense, I guess. It's almost like a satellite dish itself..." Joel said to himself, looking over at the silver, bowl-like structure of the Pokémon Stadium.

* * *

This was going to require a lot more work than the other beacons, Joel was sure. The black metal supports stretched from end to end, and were supported by cables on the sides of the stadium, and wide, circular concrete supports below. Augustine had well and truly struck hard and fast. Joel started on the cables, and they were weaker than he first thought. One of the metal strands was cut in half with one slice of Joel's claws, and it fell to the ground with a loud thud, almost hitting a guard.

"Oh, yeah... Guards..." Joel muttered. Now he really would have to work quickly if he didn't want to get killed. He flew past the other two cables, and the both were cut clean in half, and landed on the grass. Most of the guards had noticed now, and were scrambling to get their guns and attack the intruder. Joel swore under his breath, turning to face the front of the beacon.

He fired off attack after attack, and the ting didn't seem to budge at all. It was then Joel noticed that the energy from the attacks seemed to be absorbed by the strange metal, almost like the restraints Joel was held down by when he was almost captured by Damien. There was a voice behind him.

"Well, I see we meet again. You may as well give up now." Augustine said. Joel turned to face her, and she was surrounded by guards with futuristic looking guns and night vision visors. They were the same kind of guards that Joel had seen before he was shot by the jets. He was about to transform, but he was stopped when a guard lifted his gun, and opened fire.

The bullets weren't normal, they were more like darts. As soon as the stream hit Joel, he felt his powers ebb away.

"What shall I do with you? Maybe I'll just harness your powers like I did with that Lucario. I think some revenge is in order first, though." She pressed a button, and, strangely, Joel felt himself almost being forced to sleep by the dart sticking out of him. Eventually, he stopped fighting, and accepted defeat.

* * *

**Thanks for reading my story!**

**If you have time, please leave a review!**


	32. Chapter 28: The Prison

**Three Months Later**

The prison was changing Joel. It wasn't just physically, he could feel his mind breaking down every day. If he didn't escape soon, he would be beyond the realms of what could be considered stable. His hair was beginning to turn a silver-grey from Augustine's 'practises', as she called them, and he already had multiple scars on his torso. There was one thing that was keeping him within the realms of reality, and that was his cellmate, a Delphox who called himself Archimedes. Joel had first met him when he arrived, and Archimedes said he had already been here for some time. Everything was fine before Augustine introduced him to her weapon, something she called the Essence Machine. Aiden had been right, she was attempting to create a formula to give to normal humans, to give them unnatural powers. Almost every day, he would be taken from the tiny, grubby room where he was being held, with his powers disabled by the metal bands around his neck and arms, and brought into the room holding the large, grey machine. He would be hooked up, injected, have blood taken form him, tested and experimented on, then given just enough food to keep him alive, then sent back into the cell for a few hours of peace.

A knock on the door pulled Joel from his thoughts. Maybe if he escaped from this he would keep the nickname the media had given him after his small amount of fame; Ghost. Archimedes was using it, saying 'Joel isn't the name of a saviour.'. The guards pulled him up and dragged him into the room with the Essence Machine. It was the usual; hook up, inject, extract blood, experiment. Take the last few pieces of humanity from him. Augustine had left, probably to hide from the police. If he escaped, she would get a whole world of pain.

The metal table's coldness seeped through the feathers on his back. In the event he did escape, he wouldn't create the same clothes that Joel had worn. He wasn't Joel anymore, he was Ghost. Joel was another figment of his past. Ghost didn't look at the past, he looked at the future, what lies ahead. In private, he was still Joel, though. The public knew him as Ghost, but he suspected, no matter how hard he tried, he would still see himself as Joel. He was, again, pulled from vengeant thoughts, by one of the scientist worfidely saying something at one of the large monitors in the room. It made a change from the beep of the heartbeat monitor, which seemed to get slower and slower everyday.

'No... No, this isn't good... Can we get an engineer down here quickly? Something's broken in the machine, it's taking in too much power... What do we do?" He said to another scientist.

"Oh god... Umm.. I.. I don't know? She told us not to turn it off!" Replied the other scientist, in an equally worried tone. By now, a light on the machine was beginning to flash red. It was overheating.

"Urgh.. This is NOT good..." Continued a third, but he was cut short as a small explosion could be heard from inside the machine, which made all three of them jump backwards in a funny way. They continued to mutter random things, trying to figure out what to do, when Ghost noticed it was getting considerably hotter in the room. One decided to pull the needles from Ghost's arm, and was about to sedate him, probably to take him away, when the room erupted into flame.

* * *

Who knows how many hours had passed when Ghost finally woke up with a claw tapping his shoulder.

"Hey! You're awake, finally. Come on, Ghost. We need to get to the next town if we want to survive, at least." Sighed Archimedes. However, because Joel's powers were blocked, he had to crawl. Eventually, the two made it a good few miles, and were going through the woods. Neither had any idea where they were, but they had to be somewhere near Undella Town, which meant they could be in the Lostlorn forest.

"You know, this is a lot like when I met Zoroark. She was watching me and Garchomp the entire time, and it feels like that now, oddly..." Said Joel warily. He was sure of what he said.

"It's fine. If its a person, they'll probably see us with these stupid metal bands, and help us."

"Umm... Kind of an odd time, but I forgot to ask. Why did Augustine have you in the first place?"

"Let's say... My Psychic powers are... Exceptional. But, one hit from her Pokemon, I couldn't remember what it was, and I was out cold."

"We're both weak." Joel replied, but he was cut short by a voice, and someone running up behind him.

"A Latios? And a Delphox, all the way out here?" Said a woman, who had come out of some kind of forest green car, and she was wearing an equally green uniform with a hat. "That's.. Odd. You look familiar." She continued, looking at the dirty blue Latios. "I guess I should take you to town and get you two healed up... Why are there metal bands on you?" Archimedes and Joel couldn't reply, and just gave the woman needy looks, hoping for a free ride. "Come on then." She finished, and led the two over to the pickup truck, and Joel and Archimedes both hauled themselves into the truck's flatbed. A few seconds later, the engine started, and the dusty truck jumped and bangs along the dirt path.

* * *

Eventually, the truck pulled into a small town, with a few houses and shops, and, to the relief of Joel and Archimedes, a Pokémon centre. The truck stopped, and the woman got out, and headed into a side door in the Pokémon centre. She returned a few moments later with a hosepipe and a bottle of soap in her hands.

"I suppose I should get you two cleaned up first." She said, turning on the hosepipe and trying to spray both of them with water. The cool, clear liquid got rid of the few months of grime that had built up on their fur and feathers, and soon both were sparklingly clean.

"Now, how to deal with those metal rings... I guess the only way is to heat them and break them apart... Looks like we're going to need to go to the blacksmith to get them off." The woman got back into the truck, and they continued through the town, getting some strange looks from people. It's not everyday you would see a legendary Pokémon and a Pokémon from a different region sitting in the back of a ranger's pickup truck.

The truck pulled up outside a small, rustic cottage. The woman got out and knocked on the door, and it was opened by a stout man in a dirty apron and beard. She said somethong to the man, and he looked up at the pickup truck, and nodded. He returned after some time with a small, handheld grinder.

"Well, the only way I'm going to be able to get them off is with a grinder, so hold still if you don't want to get cut." He said, sitting on the flip-down tailgate next to Joel, and lightly pressing the grinder against the first metal band. There was a flurry of sparks, and, eventually, the metal ring fell off, and Joel felt a bit lighter than before, strangely. The blacksmith cut off the other ring on his arm, and finally the thicker ring around his neck, which took a lot longer. As soon as the last ring fell off, Joel found himself back floating in the air, with his powers returned.

_'Thank you. Both of you._' Joel said to the blacksmith and the ranger. Although the blacksmith looked surprised, the ranger didn't. The blacksmith's look became almost comedic when Joel transformed into his human form.

However, Joel wasn't wearing his old clothes. Although he still had a coat, it had the look of a future-wizard. It was tight to the skin, and was held together with a thick, brown belt. The coat itself was dark blue, with accents of white at the shoulders and arms. The collar was high up, almost touching Joel's jawline. There was a slightly purple, angular piece of metal around the base of the collar that almost looked like armour. The coat came down, but instead of finishing straight, the back ended lower down that the front, and it split at the back. On his wrist was a silver and blue metal holster for Pokéballs. His hands were covered in red and blue gloves. He also had a pair of simple black trousers on, with ankle high black boots. His face was the odd part out - instead of changing it, Joel had kept it now it looked after Augustine had tortured him. The hair was a mix of black, white and silver, but it didn't look patchy or odd. The jawline still retained it's natural sharpness, and his eyes were still a shimmering silver.

"My name is Ghost, by the way." Joel said to the two.

"I knew I recognised you... You're the man off television! Where have you been? We need you, Nexus has taken over the entire globe, practically. We holed up here to stay safe, off the grid." The ranger said.

"The entire globe? Including Kanto?" Joel said wotreidly. He _needed _to get back there now if the situation was this dire. All this time, the blacksmith had been removing the two bands on Archimedes' arms.

'We should be getting to your friends.' He said, putting his claws on Joel's shoulder. 'Ghost.' He added with a smirk. Joel nodded, and spoke.

"We can't thank you enough for your help, but I think my friends might need me, if she has gone to Kanto." Joel said. Neither of them would know who 'she' was, but at this rate they would know soon. Both nodded happily, and Joel transformed, motioning for Archimedes to climb onto his back. Both left the tiny little village nestled into the hills, and soon both were over water and hading for Alto Mare.

* * *

**Thanks for reading my story!**

**If you have time, please leave a review!**

**Joel/Ghost's new clothes are based off a Destiny Warlock. For an idea, look at this image (it isn't mine, I do NOT own it.) ** /SL3lmzY

**The main story will be ending soon (as some may have figured out), and after that it will he more focused on more Pokémon lime things, like battling and exploring. I also have a big plot twist set out involving Ash.**


	33. Chapter 29: The Return

There was no presence of Augustine or Nexus in Alto Mare. Seeing as it was on an island, it had almost become a fortress for people. Joel noted that there were more people here than the last time he came. He was getting some surprised looks from people. He had, after all, been gone for almost four months now. He should get back to Latias and the others, as the sun was almost above the horizon. He had some serious explaining to do.

"This way." Joel said, leading his new friend Archimedes down a narrow alleyway with a dead end there. "Just walk through." He continued, and both stepped through, into the Secret Garden of Alto Mare. The only problem was, there was some kind of improvised locked door at the end of the arch.

"Shit. Give me a minute. If there no one on the other side, well need to go around the other side." Joel said, banging the door. There was something on the other side, as both of them heard an intake of breath.

'Well, someone's there.' Archimedes said, tapping at the door.

"Open the door! It's me, Joel!" Joel shouted into the door. There was a confused sigh from the other side. The person fumbled with a set of keys, and the door opened to reveal Bianca.

"Joel? You look.. different." She said, looking at Joel. "Why is your hair grey?"

"Long story." Joel replied, as he and Archimedes entered the garden. "Where's everyone else?"

"They went out to buy some food. Latias is still asleep if you want to go and say hi. She's on the second floor of the house, in the spare room.

"Thanks. This is Archimedes, by the way." Joel said, before leaving for the door to Lorenzo's house.

* * *

Joel noted that Latias looked so peaceful when she was asleep. He must've been sitting next to the bed she was asleep in for ten minutes when she began to stir.

"Latias... Latias, wake up." Joel quietly said. She slowly opened her eyes and stared at Joel, wondering who he was. After a few moments, she realised who he was, and literally jumped out of the bed, hugging him. After a few second, she broke the embrace.

_'What happened to you?'_

"Well, to put it simply... Augustine caught me a kept me in a prison for three months but I escaped with a Delphox..." Joel paused for breath. "And I eventually got back to Alto Mare about an hour ago..."

_'Captured? Why do you look so different? We thought you were... gone.'_

"Well, I'm back now. Let's just say that I'd rather not talk about what happened, apart from the fact Augustine needs to go. Where can I find Ash and the others?"

_'They should be at the market. Thanks for coming back, Joel. I think we all need you. Not just us.'_ Latias replied. Joel nodded, and left the room.

* * *

"Come on guys, we should be going back." Ash said.

"Are you sure we have everything?" Brock replied. Ash nodded, and they left the market, with Joel's Pokémon in tow. "I still can't believe how many Pokémon Joel befriended in such a short space of time..." He continued, looking at them.

"Did someone say my name?" A voice from the top of a staircase said. Brock and Ash looked up the alley to see a man with greying hair and a coat standing with his arms crossed. Brock didn't recognise him, but Ash and the others almost immediately did.

"Joel? Where have you been!?" Ash said, running up to the man. "Why is your hair grey?"

"Long story. I can explain once we're back at the garden." Joel replied, leading the group back to the garden."How have you guys all been then? Well, I hope?" He continued, as they walked up and down the narrow alleyways of Alto Mare.

"Everything's been fairly calm here. Seeing as Alto Mare is on an island, the military thought it would make sense for their main operations to be set up here for now." Brock replied.

"The military? How about... you guys go back to the garden, I might go and see if they want any help. Where are they?"

"At the museum, you can't exactly miss it. It's on high security, and don't even think about breaking in!" Ash said, but Joel had already dissapeared.

* * *

Joel dropped down onto the platform above the central circle of the museum.

"I must say, for a temporary miliaty installation, this was actually easier to break into than I thought." He said to the soldiers stood over a table below, whilst brushing off his coat. They immediately turned around to see who it was. It wasn't anyone they knew. However, someone who Joel assumed was their CO must have recognised him.

"For someone who's apparently been dead for four months, you're looking quite well." He said, his arms crossed. He looked like the stereotypical seargent; close cut hair, crisp uniform and a hat. "You could've just walked in through the front door. The rest of the museum is still open."

"Well, that's the boring way. Adventure, the spice of life." Joel replied, climbing down the engraved wall that face the soldiers. "Who are you, anyway?" Joel said, putting his hands outwards in a comical fashion.

"I'm Sergeant Hickok. This is my squad. We've been tasked with finding out where Nexus is operating, and to take out it's main operatives. I think we could use your help." The Sergeant said. Joel pulled up a chair and sat down at the table, and he did the same.

"I'm sure you could." Joel said.

"Seeing as you can... well... you know, I think you're right."

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Joel replied, grinning cheekily. After some time, the Sergeant grumbled, and continued.

"Well, so far, our reconnaissance has pointed to the Indigo Plateau. It's north of here, located in the hills. We suspect that Nexus has taken over the Pokémon League building. In two days we move out. Seeing as you have... ties... with Augustine, you can come along I suppose. You're still a civilian, though, Ghost. If that is your real name. Come and see me here in two days." The Sergeant said, and he got back to work. Joel left the museum.

* * *

Their conversation was interrupted by a knock at the door. Lorenzo slowly heaved himself out of his armchair to go and see who was bothering them at this hour of the day. He opened the door to see a man with slightly grey hair and a coat standing in the doorway.

"Hey, Lorenzo." After a short time of him standing there, as he didn't recognise what Joel now looked like, he only would recognise his 'classic' form, Joel introduced himself for him. "It's me, Joel."

"Oh, come on in. The others said you were back." Lorenzo said, retreating to his armchair. Joel sat down next to Latias and Ash who were sat on a sofa. Ash and Pikachu were sitting on the floor, while Joel's Pokémon were sat or standing next to him. Even though they were watching television, the occasional glances towards Archimedes showed that their interest was in him. Joel had been meaning to ask him something, but hadn't got round to it.

"Oh, yeah. Archimedes, I was meaning to ask you something, but... It's not exactly the thing to say out loud." Joel said.

'You want to know why Augustine had captured me?' Archimedes said. Before Joel could reply, the fork Ash was eating a snack with had flown out of his hands, and was floating in front of Archimedes' face. He narrowed his eyes from second, and the metal bent round in multiple places, and almost seemed to flatten and thin out. He bent it round into a cylindrical shape, and the fork landed back in Ash's hands.

"Wow. That was... impressive." Joel said, yawning. "I think I might go and get some rest, I haven't slept for almost two days." He continued, and went upstairs to go to sleep.

* * *

**Thanks for reading my story!**

**If you have time, please leave a review!**


	34. Flashback 3: The Rock Pt 1

_**Three months after "The Cannonball Run Pt.**_** 3"**

After coming back, Joel and Aiden had got to business quickly. The first night was mainly about Aiden seeing some old friends, including the leader of the drifters, Han. The actual racing itself consisted of four main groups; The Greasers, The Drifters, The Hackers and The Stylers. The Greaser's main discipline was drag racing; they preferred rock music and loud, brash, American muscle cars. They were lead by a man called Robert. The Drifter's, as imaginable, drifted. They used imports that blared out k-pop and other music, and were led by Han. The Stylers, who often got the nickname 'all show no go', were more about arriving in style than finishing first. They preferred sprint and circuit racing. They were led by Francisco, who was often heard with nondescript rap music playing out of his lowrider. The last group were the hackers, who preferred to upgrade and race with the latest technology to give them the upper hand. They belonged in the hills, with tje Touge discipline.

* * *

Joel rolled up to his usual spot in the garage, with the other hackers. Aiden was leaning on Ross' car, and Joel assumed he was inside, tinkering with the electronics, as usual. Aiden waved at him as he parked the red and black Dodge Challenger in front of him, and got out. A car like this wouldn't normally be considered to be balanced enough to be used for tight Touge courses, but it wasn't exactly standard - a carbon fibre body bolted onto an aluminium, 4 wheel drive chassis meant that the car was fast, light and agile.

"We got any competition tonight, Ross?" Joel asked.

"Um, yeah. Some Drifters wanted to race you, me and Aiden on The Rock." Ross replied, his blonde hair poking out from inside his Subaru 22B. "And, by Drifters, I mean Han and his cronies. Said something about wanting to show you're not the best."

"The rock? Is he insane? He knows that even we don't race there anymore, it's too dangerous." Joel replied. Of all the routes the Hackers ran, The Rock was something of an urban legend. The road tan from the hills in the north to the tall, straight cliffs in the south. There were no barricades on the side of the road, with a hundred foot drop on one side. "But, I guess he needs to be pleased. When does he want to race?"

"Now, by the look of it." Aiden said, lifting his body off the Subaru, and crossed his arms at Han and two other people who were approaching. One race each.

"Let's race." Han simply said to Joel.

"Fine. I'll meet you there." Joel replied, climbing back into the Dodge. He left the car park, with practically the entire club in tow. This was going to be a big race, and Joel didn't want to dissapoint.

* * *

The roar of the two engines was overpowering the shouts of the crowd. On one side, was the Hackers and the Greasers, who had bazde together in support of Joel. On the other side was the Drifters and the Stylers, favouring Han in his Nissan 370Z. Han's car may be ever so slightly more agile, but Joel had the upper hand in control and power. Aiden walked between the two cars, and held up his hands. He dropped one, and then the other, and the race began. Joel took the lead almost instantly, leaving Han in the dust, but he didn't take the first bend too riskily, sitting in the middle of the road rather than taking a wide line that could risk falling over the edge. Han quickly caught up, having kept more speed on the bend. The cars weaved in and out of bends almost rhythmically, the headlights illuminating the wet rocks ahead. Another turn came, and Joel felt the rear wheel slide over the edge, but he quickly pulled it round and kept ahead of Han. Another turn, and both almost hit the rock face, which would wreck the cars and ruin the race. Joel remembered there was a straightaway here, and gunned the accelerator, leaving Han's orange car behind in the rain. Joel slammed the car into a higher gear, and the engine screamed like a freed beast. Most racers said the most dangerous routes, where you were more close to death, was where you felt more alive. Right now, this felt more true than ever, as Joel rounded another corner, the back of the car sliding out. They must be at least three quarters of the way down the course now, as Joel rounded another corner to be faced with a couby sunset overlooking the sea. The coastal path was the most dangerous part of the course. Thankfully, the road was drier here, meaning that Joel had more control over the car. There was no sign of Han in the rearview mirror. The finish line was in sight now, the line where the older tarmac met the newer tarmac. But, there was something wrong. Joel wasn't sure what, but something didn't feel right.

He slowly drove along the road, not making any noise, when he noticed it. What used to be a continuous rise in the cliff face on the right side of the road, now had a circular pipe cut away in it. Joel continued driving so he could see what was inside, then gunned the accelerator. Inside the pipe were what looked to be a group of Drifters. They were standing around three cars, and, oddly, one had a remote control for a car in his hand. When they saw Joel drive past, they panicked, and the one with the remote almost dropped it before pressing a button, and the car in the pipe lurched forward, but Joel was ahead by the time it had rolled out of the wet pipe and over the cliff. He drove off towards the end of the route. He didn't know what was going on, but the Drifters were clearly mad at him for some reason. Then he realised it. Putting two and two together, it was clear why the Drifters wanted the race. They knew they would lose, meaning that Joel, Aiden and Ross would go past the pipe first. When they heard the car coming, they would use the remote to release the car. It would roll out of the pipe and hit them off the cliff. There were still two more cars in there. Joel had to get back to the start line quickly.

* * *

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	35. Chapter 30: Vengeance?

After some time, the others had agreed to let Joel go with the soldiers, after he assured them time after time he would be fine. Latias was the last to a free, she didn't want Joel going away again. Hole had left behind his Pokémon with Lorenzo, Latias, Latios, Bianca, Ash and Brock; or so he thought. Right now, he was on a Jeep that the soldiers from two days ago had procured. However, they left the safety of Alto Mare and the waters of Johto after some time, and had headed towards Kanto to find out where Augustine was hiding. The journey was long, but it was almost over. As of now, they were hidden in a garage in Celadon City. The squad of soldiers consisted of Sergeant Hickok, who chose not to reveal his first name, because Joel was 'just another civilian', Robert, who was the technical genius and was currently trying to find out where Augustine's signals were coming from. Then there was Ricard, their marksman, and Tom, their field medic. And, even though the Sergeant saw Joel as a civilian, he was fine with him being their makeshift engineer, and he got to work looking at the jeep and seeing if there was anything wrong with it. So far, Robert had decided the signal was coming from somewhere off the coast, which meant she was underground or on an island.

"Damn, she's good at this... It's north of Cinnabar.. No, north... north east, I think..." He muttered to himself. He was ignored, as Joel was tinkering under the Jeep, Ricard was cleaning his rifle, Tom was checking his gear and the Sergeant was watching all of them. There was silence for some time, but it was broken by Robert.

"I... I think I've got it!" He cried happily. Everyone stopped what they were doing to see where it was. "A place called New Island, actually south of Cinnabar. Shouldn't take too long to get there." He said, closing the laptop and shoving in his backpack.

"Let's move out." The Sergeant said. Everyone jumped in the Jeep, aand, after Joel had opened the door, they shot out of the garage and headed towards the nearest harbour.

**Twenty Minutes Later, at Vermillion City Port**

"Where are we going to get a boat? We can't exactly just... Oh, yeah. I'm with you guys for now.." Joel muttered to himself. The Sergeant went up to a man sat on a boat. It had been hard enough sneaking into the harbour, with it locked down by Nexus guards.

"We need to borrow your boat, sir. We are military, please comply." The sergeant said. He wasn't one for wasting time. After some time, the man grumbled, and left the boat, putting a set of keys into the sergeant's hand. The squad climbed aboard and headed for the top deck. The sergeant shoved the keys into the boat's ignition, and somewhere they heard aan engine start up, and the boat began to ever so slightly vibrate.

"We don't have much time left before were declared MIA, so let's move." The sergeant said monotonously.

"Oh, joy." Joel replied.

* * *

**An hour later, at the entrance to New Island**

"Damn, this place is.. Creepy, to sat the least. It's liekk some kind of abandoned fortress." Said Ricard, staring up and the crumbling, rusting metal towers of New Island.

"I suspect it isn't abandoned." Joel replied. For some reason the place felt familiar, almost as if memories were being... added to his mind as he walked. The group entered the first room of New Island, only to find it strangely litters with bodies of Nexus guards.

"Looks like someone beat us here." The Sergeant said.

"Or... something. Look at these wounds." Joel said, examining the body of the nearest guard. It appeared that the contents of his abdomen had been removed and crushed into the floor. Surely there was no way a human could be this sick?

"Holy fucking shit... Take a look at this." Tom said. He found the body of another guard that appeared to have had his face beaten to a pulp.

"We should move. Don't know about you, but I don't fancy being caught by whoever or whatever did that." Rob said, leading the group up a staircase. Before they found the mutilated corpses, this seemed like an easy task, but now... who knew what lurked in the dark crevices of New Island.

"She's probably going to be in the central tower... Oh Shit, get down!" Whispered Ricard. The group ducked behind a pile of crates, as there was a group of guards poking one of the corpses ahead of them. This one, though, wasn't even human. It had some kind of tail growing out of it's lower back, almost like it was a fusion of two different species. The guards eventually left the corpse and continued their patrol. It looked like they weren't alone after all.

The group continued through the corridors, guns ready, until the came to a corner. Peeking round, two guards were stood there. Ricard pressed a silenced pistol into Joel's hands, and Joel nodded in reply. He leant around the corner, and put a round into each guard's head. The group ran up to the door, and slowly pushed it open. Someone was stood at a table, silhouetted by the lack of light. They person, or woman, stepped forwards.

"I'm so glad you men could join me." Augustine said. "I hope you found it easy getting here?"

"This ends now." Joel said, stepping forwards, with his gun arm outstretched.

"Oh, does it?" She said, smiling. "If you were to kill me, here, now, not only would it be hell escaping here, but your friends will he in trouble. In fact, they may be requiring your help right now." She continued deviously, checking her watch.

"You bitch, what did you do?" Joel said, running forwards and pinning her against the table.

"Oh, not very much. Just sent a few squads of men, and some of my... experiments... to Alto Mare." She laughed wickedly. Joel's ego faltered almost instantly, but he let go and pulled the pistol back to her head. "Just remember, if you kill me, you're no different from me. We both want a perfect world, and we both would do anything to get it."

"Anything? I wouldn't take over half a planet and experiment on humans."

"No, bit you would quite happily kill for it, wouldn't you?" She said. As much as Joel hated it, to was true. She had to die for his future. But was it worth it? Of course it was. She was, after all, the woman who ruined his past. She wouldn't ruin his future, either.

He fired.

* * *

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	36. Chapter 31: All's Well That Ends Well

From somewhere inside New Island there was some kind of inhuman screech. It was followed by many others, and they seemed to be coming towards the room.

"Shit. Ghost... Thank you for the help. Go, take her body and the laptop there. Both could be important." The sergeant said, pointing at a small laptop with, oddly, a USB key poking out of it. "Don't worry. You're secret's safe with us." He smiled.

"Thank you, too, Sergeant. All of you." Joel replied, looking at the ragtag group of soldiers. He doubted they would make it out, but at least the last of the living mutants that Augustine hadn't let loose in Alto Mare would remain here until they died. He transformed, and picked up the laptop and, as much as the thing repulsed him, Augustine's body, and he blasted a hole into the wall of the room, to be met with sunlight. He took one last look at the soldiers, who were ready for their final stand, and left. The last thing he heard on the island was more of the mutated screams and gunfire. That made him think, what would be waiting for him in Alto Mare? He just prayed that either the guards or, if Augustine was telling the truth, the mutants she created.

* * *

**Alto Mare**

There was gunfire everywhere, but Joel had no idea who it was directed at. It was either the mutants that were randomly jumping around, attempting to rip people apart, or the military who were holed up in the museum. Aside from finding a way to stop the fighting, Joel knew he had to get to the garden. He flew down to the alleyway and transformed, dragging Augustine's body and laptop in the alleyway, a knocked on the door a few times. A couple of minutes later, it was opened by someone he didn't even recognise.

_'Joel! I'm glad you're back. Oh, it's me, Latios, by the way. As much as I hate transforming, Lorenzo said it was for the best, so I decided to go with him.' _Latios said. He had dark blue, spiky hair, with some grey shorts and a blue top.

"Good to see you too. Where are the others? I need to talk to them, mainly Ash. I might need his help, and yours. You two know Alto Mare better than me." He replied.

_'They're in the house. I've been sitting here, on guard.' _ He sighed.

"Also, if you don't like dead bodies, don't go in the alleyway." Joel smiled, and left Latios to his own devices, and walked up though the large, open space of the garden, and around the pond, and past a swing, and onto the house's back entrance. Ash said that he had first found out Latias was, well, a Latias there.

He continued up into the house, and now the distant echo of gunfire returned.

"Ash?" He shouted. "It's Joel. Where are you?" This was followed by someone walking up the stairs, and Ash poked his head around. Joel assumed everyone else was upstairs.

"You're back!" He replied happily. "Where are those soldiers?" He asked, but Joel's facial expression made him not go any further.

"I need your help. Can you get me to the museum?"

"I know where it is. Are you sure it's safe?"

"I don't know. If you want to come, you can. Latios is coming, but, like I said, you don't have to if you don't want to." Joel replied. After some thought, Ash nodded. "Ok then. Let's finish this."

The two left the house and went back to the garden, where Latios was resting against a tree.

"We're going. We haven't let the others know, so let's get back quickly. By the way, there's probably going to be a stench in the alleyway, so hold your nose." Joel said, and he was the first to enter the shadowed archway, and he was followed by the coughs of Ash and Latios.

"What the hell is that?" Ash said through coughs, looking at Augustine's body. "Is that her?"

"Yup. Sure is." Joel replied, heaving Augustine's body onto his shoulders. If there was one thing that would stop the soldiers, it would be seeing their leader dead. They left the alleyway, and were eventually headed towards the museum.

They began to encounter resistance around 100 metres from the museum. By now, the gunfire was almost unbearably loud without ear protectors.

_'If I get Ash up to a safe place, can't you fly over to the museum and show the body?' _Latios asked.

"Good idea." Joel replied, aurvwyonf the area for a suitable hiding place. From the alleyway, he doubted anyone would find them, so he could take his time. That was, until a guard rounded the corner with a shotgun held up towards the group.

"What are you doing here? Hey, you're Ghost!" He shouted, and before Joel could reply, opened fire on the group. Latios almost entire missed the tiny pellets, but the brunt of them hit Joel and Ash. Ash fell backwards to the floor, but Joel regained his balance, and pulled the silenced pistol from inside his coat and shot the guard. He and Latios rushed over to Joel, and they managed to pull him into an abandoned food shop, still with the fridges running and lights on.

"Shit, shit, shit... God dammit!" Joel shouted, trying his best to cover the wounds, but to no avail. He was losing blood frighteningly quickly. "There has to be a way to save him..." Joel muttered to himself.

_'Um, well, there is _one _way, but it's... dangerous, to say the least, for the both of you.' _Latios replied.

'Tell me how to do it." Joel said flatly. After a few seconds of Latios being unsure, he decided to tell Joel.

_'Essentially you give Ash some of your energy. As simple as that, but it can easily go wrong. I guess you just touch him.' _

Joel pressed his fingertips to Ash's skull, and attempted to send some energy his way. A few seconds later, he felt a tingling feeling going through his fingertips, and he also felt himself feeling more and more tired. Even though his mind was felling him to stop, he wouldn't, he had to save Ash. He could feel his eyelids falling shut, and eventually he fell down onto the floor of the shop.

* * *

He woke up again after what seemed like hours, in what Joel assumed to be a room in Lorenzo's house. Eventually !iatering the energy to get out of bed, he left the small, musty room and went downstairs. Strangely, there was nobody there. The entire house, with it's old furniture and quaint pictures, was empty, but Joel's worry was stopped when he heard some laughter from the garden. He went out into the large, circular garden to see everyone there, laughing and running around. Ash was one of them, and Joel smiled to himself, and went up to the group.

"Hey, Joel! You've woken up, finally." Said Brock happily. "It's been almost a week. Oh, by the way, a package arrived for you from a 'guardian angel' or something like that. It's on the coffee table in the front room if you want it."

"Thanks. I might go and get it in a while. Wait, did you say a week? What's happened?" Joel replied, surprised.

"Well, the military eventually drove the nexus soldiers out of Alto Mare, and that led to them finding Augustine's body, and, well... the soldiers gave up hope, and layed down their arms. The nexus is all but dead now."

"Good. I guess this means... where to now?" Joel replied happily. By now, Ash and the others had come over.

"Back to Unova? We both have two badges there, so may as well continue. Unless you fancy the coastal routes of Kalos, or the dense wilderness of Hoenn?" Ash said suggestively.

"I think we'll stick to Unova for now." Joel replied, smiling at Ash, Latias, and his Pokémon. No they weren't just Pokémon anymore. They were his friends. "I'm just going to take a look at that package." He finished. They all nodded, and Joel returned to the door, and back into Lorenzo's house.

Sure enough, there was a small brown package sitting on the table, unopened. Joel got a pair of scissors and slit open the brown tape on it, and opened the box. Inside was his keys, iPod, and phone. Strangely, the phone's screen was fixed. There was no sign that any damage had ebey been done to it. There was some kind of charger their as well. It had a cable that split into a micro USB and an apple charger on one end, while it had a plug that would fit into a socket that looked unfamiliar. Looking at a white plate in the corner of the room, it was clear that it would fit into there. There was also a note buried at the bottom of the box. Joel read it, and smiled.

_Hey, Joel._

_I had no use of the things that you left in my apartment, so I thought I should send them to you. I don't know if you're alive when this will reach you, or if you escape or not. But, in the case you are alive, I'll always be watching over you._

_Your guardian angel,_

_Aiden._

* * *

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**This is now the end of the first half of the story. I'm going to release a story and character summary for the story so far, as well as finishing up the third flashback, before going further with this story.**


	37. Plot and Character Summary

**Seeing as the first half of this story is now finished, here's a summary of the plot and characters so far! This will most likely contain spoilers for the story so far. Enjoy!**

**Please note: I don't own Pokémon or any other companies depicted in this fan made story. However, I do own all the original characters like Joel, Aiden and Augustine, to name a few. Any relation to an original character you made is completely a coincidence :)**

**Joel:**

Joel is the main character in my story. He was born in the south of England, and grew up there. He first realised his powers when he was around 12, when he began hearing voices in his head from time to time. Eventually, he realised that the voices were other people's, and, in a moment of confusion in his bedroom, wondering what was happening to him, he transformed into a Latios. For seven more years, he stayed in England, hut when he was 19 he fled to America. He found a place in San Francisco where he could stay, and met up with a group of robbers led my Dmitri, and they were planning an elaborate heist on an LA bank. They needed a driver, so accepted Joel. Joel himself bought a Ford F150 Raptor for the job, and he heavily upgraded it. When the heist was put into motion, they had been set up by Augustine, who, after seeing Joel's power, made it her goal to find him and harness that power, but her own goals drove her to corruption. She eventually met Joel again, and, when he had been sedated, she took some of his blood, and eventually created a serum to temporarily allow her to cross the barrier. Back on Joel's end, he returned to San Francisco, where he found a dusty old Artega GT, and he decided to buy it and use it for illegal races. He met Lou, and the two planned to compete in a Cannonball Run (a rave that spans the width of an entire country) and get very rich. However, Augustine showed up again, shot Lou and took Joel to a warehouse, where she extracted his blood and made the serum. Joel escaped and fled back to San Francisco, this time with a man called Aiden in tow. It turned out both were familiar with the street racing scene there. Joel bought a third car, a Dodge Charger, and faced with that for some time. Eventually, a rivaly with a racer called Han forced him out of America and back to England. Common fights with drug dealers left him an enemy of the British gang world. That was when he met Latias, on a balcony of St. Paul's Cathedral. Latias promised him a new life across the border, but when she didn't show up the following day, Joel's clumsiness led him to being spotted by the public, and the military were sent after him. Joel tried to outrun the jets that were after him, but he was eventually shot down, and woke up hours later in Lugia's underwater den.

**Aiden:**

Aiden was born in Chicago and lived there until he was 14, when his family moved out of Illinois and to California, in particular to San Francisco. He grew up normally, but he, too, got into the street racing scene. His quest for knowledge led him to discover Augustine, but she found out about him, and, from everyone else's eyes, seemed to cease from existence. Around half a year later, Joel arrived at the warehouse, amdnhe escaped with him, to return to street racing. The two, along with the other Hacker leader, Ross, became a formiddable force in the San Francisco street racing scene. After Joel's dissalearance, he had another run in with Augustine, and decided to go after her. After discovering her plans, he stole one of the vials of serum, and broke onto the plane she was on. He eventually found that he was on the other side of the barrier, and after a dew awkward questions with random people, one decided to help him out. The first Pokémon he caught was a Staraptor, and it's the only one he caught. He soon managed/to hack into Augustine's private network from a Nimbasa city apartment and managed to find Joel. When the right moment came, he revealed himself, but after Joel was captured, he sent his belongings back to the secret garden in a hope he had escaped. The two would be reunited a few weeks later, and Aiden would decrypt the files on the USB drive that Joel found on New Island, revealing dangerous secrets (hinting at what's coming up guys! :P).

**Augustine:**

Augustine Simmons was born in New Orleans in 1965, making her 49 years old when she died. Her first encounter with Joel was in 2009 when the heist occurred. Seeing his power made her want it, and she went to the ends of the earth to get it. After a long, tireless year of research, she found someone who said he was from beyond the barrier, and had been betrayed by them. He was willing to give her the secret to get over. She just needed some of Joel's blood. She succeeded in doignnso the next time she encountered Joel in Los Angeles. A few months later, she had created the serum which allowed her to travel across the barrier, according to the man she met. She travelled over in a plane, which Aiden had managed to stow himself away on. For the entire time she was over there, she didn't know of Aiden's existence there. She found a suitable place for her laboratories, on New Island. There, she experimented on stolen Pokémon and kidnapped people, attempting to create a hybrid between the two. However, her experiments almost manages to take over the facility, but were quarantined into a corner of the island. When Joel arrived with the soldiers, they had practically broken out already. The gunshots from the soldiers gave them reason to finally break free, but they were trapped on the island forever. In a last ditch attempt, Augustine shipped some of her most dangerous experiments and group of elite guards to Alto Mare to try and kill Joel, but by the time this had happened, Joel was gone from there, and his friends were safe in the garden. Augustine's death was a result of her own craving for power, and she was killed at the hands of Joel.

**Character's clothing:**

**Joel:**

For Joel's 'original' clothing, I took inspiration from Delsin Rowe's clothes from Infamous: Second Son. Joel's exact clothes are: A sleeved denim jacket, jeans and a grey hooded jumper.

For Joel's second set of clothing, which I refer to as his 'Vengeance' clothing, is heavily inspired by Aiden Pearce's clothing from Watch_Dogs. The exact clothes are: A black trench coat, jeans, a black baseball cap, a black neckscarf, a grey turtleneck jumper.

Joel's third set of clothes, aka his 'anthropomorphic coloured' clothes are almost exactly the same as the vengeance clothes, only the coat is now grey/silver and the cap is missing.

Joel's final set of clothes, aka the 'Ghost' clothes, are inspired by the Warlock class from Destiny. I give an imgur link to the picture I took inspiration from, it is almost exactly the same as that, without the helmet. (Note: I don't own the picture)

**Aiden:**

For Aiden's clothes, I took inspiration from Jordi Chin's clothes from Watch_Dogs (yes, lots of video game characters :/ ), although the shirt is not completely red, it has black horizontal stripes running across it.

**Augustine:**

Augustine's clothes were inspired by Brooke Augustine's clothes from Infamous: Second Son (Of you can guess where the name came from, you get a cookie.). In fact, I imagined her to look exactly the same, only with grey hair.

**Well, that about sums up the characters and plot so far. I hope you've all enjoyed this story so far, there is still a long way to go!**


	38. Flashback 3: The Rock Pt 2

Their conversations were stopped when they heard a screeching of tires around the corner, followed by a pair of headlights that belonged to Joel's car. He pulled up next to Aiden and Ross, and wound down the window.

'We're going, come on. Don't ask questions, don't make a scene." Joel calmly said to the two. The looked at each other, then back at Joel, then headed to their cars. A shout from somewhere across the other side of the parking lot where they had been parked could be heard, and they hurried up, practically running now.

A man, specifically a Drifter, was running across to their cars, but Joel drove forwards and nudged him, knocking him over and giving them enough time to escape the parking lot, which they only now noticed seemed to contain just Drifters. This wasn't some kids sitting in a pipe, attempting to push people off the cliff, the Drifters clearly had something against them, and it wasn't safe to stay here. The three cars left the parking lot and headed down the canyon, with the Drifters right in their tail. The radio in Joel's car crackled.

"So why exactly are we running?" Said a voice through the radio. It belonged to Aiden.

"I'll explain in more detail when were out of here. The Drifters have something against us." Joel replied, picking up the walkie-talkie attached to the radio.

"What? Something against us, what are you saying?" Ross chipped in.

"Just... Park your cars near my place, we can get a taxi, or something." The group continued in silence for some time, until they noticed the Drifters on their tail. By now, they were almost in the city, and had to lose them quickly.

"Down here, left." Joel said, and the group swerved down a dark, narrow alley, which their pursuers didn't have time to turn down. They had lost them, for now. Joel pulled up to a garage door, and he pressed a button in the car, and it opened. "Go and park up ssomewhere where they won't find you." Joel said, driving into his garage. The other two left to find a hiding spot.

Joel left the garage to hunt for a new car. He found hope in a slightly dusty, blue Toyota FJ Cruiser. Unfortunately, the only way to get it was to smash the window. After some consideration, Joel out his hands together and smashed his elbow into the window, and it shattered. Joel opened the door of the SUV, it's alarm blaring, and he quickly smashed off the cover of the steering rack, and eventually hotwired the car, and the engine gurgled into life. Two people, Aiden and Ross, rounded the corner, to see Joel sat in the driver's seat of the SUV. The opened the rear doors and jumped in.

"Where the hell d'you get this thing?" Aiden asked.

"Where do you think?" Joel said. They were interrupted as two cars and a van rounded the corner. One was Han's car. Joel gunned the accelrator of the little SUV, and they left the alley. Realising that the people inside must be their targets, the Drifters followed the group. However, the van was missing.

"You think you should've chosen a faster car?" Aiden said sarcastically.

"Aiden... Just for once, can you shut up." Ross sighed. They SUV weaved in and out of traffic, in attempts to lose the two cars chasing them. One of the cars pulled up beside Joel, and a man wound the window down. He was holding a gun. Joel didn't notice him, as he was concentrating on the road, but Ross saw it, and reached over the seat, and pulled the steering wheel left, and the heavy SUV slammed into the little sports car, and it was sent head on into traffic.

"Shit... Thanks, Ross." Joel said guiltily. They still had the issue of Han and the mysterious dissapearance of the van.

They continued south until they met a crossroads. They would have kept going forwards, if to wasn't for the white, bullbar-protected van that smashed into the side of the SUV, sending it spinning out of control and into a tree. Joel's head smashed into the airbag, and Aiden was strapped in by the seatbelt. Things weren't as good for Ross, who, from not wearing a seatbelt, was launched forwards into the back of the seat, either knocked out or dead. Joel was still recovering from the effect of the airbag when his door opened and Aiden literally dragged him out. Joel eventually mustered the emrgy to walk, and the two left the flaming wreck of the Toyota behind for the public to look at, and the police and fire department to deal with. All Joel knew was that the lights and sounds of San Francisco weren't safe anymore. He had to go.

* * *

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	39. Chapter 32: Back To Business

_**Four months after 'All's Well That Ends Well'**_

Joel sat himself down next to Ash and Latias on the sandy beach of Undella Town. Since the events in Alto Mare, they decided to return to Unova, as they already both had two badges. This time, though, they wouldn't be travelling together. They had decided to become each other's rival. Joel had chosen to go north to Opelucid City, while Ash wanted to go back to Nacrene City and challenge the battle club again.

"So, Ash, when did you start Pokémon training?" Joel asked, sitting up in the golden sand. Latias was lying down, asleep, while Joel's friends/Pokémon had found some temporary friends and were playing around further up the beach.

"Well, I guess I always wanted to be the best Pokémon trainer in the world. Like this one guy, Red. He was the champion of Kanto, but for some reason he dissapeared a few years ago. My first Pokémon was Pikachu, because I woke up late and Professor Oak had almost run out of Pokémon. My... friend, I guess.. my friend Gary, the Professor's grandson, was my rival for some time. He's still in Kanto, though, as far I know."

"So you've been travelling the world this entire time?"

"Yup! Doing my best to get all the badges, which is fairly easy, but I always lose against the elite four..." Ash sighed. After that, there was an awkwardly long period of silence, until it was thankfully interrupted by a group of people that came over to Joel and Ash.

"Aren't you that Ghost guy off TV?" One of the men said. The for up was comprised of two men and a woman, with both men wearing swimming shorts and the woman wearing a bikini.

"I could be. Then again, I might not." Joel said, smiling.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Battle us!" The woman said.

"Sure. One minute, just have to find my friends." Joel grunted, pulling himself off the sand and going in search of his friends. Eventually he found them, playing around with two other Pokémon - a Braviary, and, oddly, another Garchomp.

"Guys! Someone wants to battle us, shall we do it?" Joel shouted to them.

'I don't see why we can't.' Zoroark said. The others nodded in agreement, then muttered something Joel didn't catch, and left the other two, following Joel.

They came back over to the three people, but, unlike Joel's previous battles, their looks didn't falter. Perhaps they would be tougher. Undella was, after all, considered to be a Mecca for tough trainers, not just from Unova, but from around the world. Supposedly, a champion had a summer villa here, but they disguised themselves well as to not attract attention. First up was the man in blue swimming shorts. He went to the other side of the makeshift battle arena, which was now attracting a few small crowds of people. Joel motioned for Archimedes to come up first. He wanted to mainly see how strong he was in battle. During the training they had done after the events in Alto Mare, it was clear that he was strong, but was more of a wild card, as his powers were unpredictable - they could be stone-crushingly strong one minute, but oddly weak the next. The man produced a Pokéball, and within it was a Sawsbuck, it's antlers covered in leaves because of the summer.

"You can take the first move." Joel said calmly. He was trying to lure his opponent into a false sense of security, thinking that he has the upper hand. Whilst he was considering what to do, Joel put a plan into action.

_'Can you use Future Sight to tell what he's doing?' _Joel said to Archimedes. After a small amount of time, he replied.

_'He's going to use a Solar Beam, by the look of it.' _

_'Use Psychic when I say.' _Joel finished, and the two waited for the man to strike.

The man smiled and shouted the command, but Joel made a small movement for Archimedes to retaliate. The swasbuck fired a jet of light from it's mouth, but Archimedes dodged it with unnaturally quick speed, whilst kicking up sand into the Pokémon's face. He then ran and slammed into the side of the Sawsbuck, toppling it over, but the Pokémon regained it's balance, and struck out with a Megahorn that the trainer must have made a hand motion for. The large, heavy deer swung it's antlers round and hit Archimedes square in the chest. Like he told Joel, he was strong, but was very vulnerable. The red and yellow fox fell over and struggled to get back up.

_'I think I'm spent, sorry...' _He sighed.

_'Don't worry about it!' _Joel replied, and returned Archimedes to the silver Pokéball. By the look of it, the man only had one more Pokémon, so finishing this would be easy, he hoped. He pulled a different Pokéball off the holster, and released Haxorus, and almost instantly gave an attack.

"Use a Giga Impact!" Joel said quickly, and Haxorus launched himself onto the much smaller Sawsbuck, surrounded in purple and yellow light.

The area of the beach exploded with sand and dust, and, when it settled, Sawsbuck was fainted and Haxorus was comically dusting himself off. Haxorus nodded to Joel, and he returned him. The other man did the same with his fainted Sawsbuck. The smile on the man's face told Joel that this next bout would be interesting. By now, the little battle had probably attracted half of the hidden beach's population. Most seemed to be favouring Joel, but the other man and woman, and a few others were in support of Joel's opponent. The man angrily released his second and final Pokémon, a Scolipede. The giant purple bug seemed to growl as it was released. Joel, knowing that the Scolipede would be sluggish and slow, released Garchomp. Joel and Garchomp were too fast for the man and his Whirlipede, as Joel almost instantly tod Garchomp to use a Dragon Rush. The landshark shot forward, engulfed in a blue light, and smashed into the Scolipede. The big, lumbering bug, was about to topple, but managed to regain it's balance quickly, and the trainer retaliated by using Poison sting. The Scolipede shot hundreds of little white darts from it's mouth, and Joel put a new tactic into action. Garchomp nimbly dodged the darts, spinning in the air, and Joel told him to use a Dragon claw. Garchomp used his momentum to smash his claw into the Scolipede's chest, and it toppled over and didn't get back up. The whole second bout must have taken around fifteen seconds. The Scolipede finally finished falling over, and it didn't get back up. Whilst the crowd erupted in cheers and whoops at seeing this advanced tactic, the man began shouting in anger, but his friends managed to calm him down, and, after shooting some dirty looks at Joel, Ash and Latias, they snuck out of the arena and left.

After some time the crowd had dispersed back to what they were doing before, and Joel, Ash and Latias had resumed their previous conversations. That was, until a blonde woman in a black coat and black trousers came over behind Joel.

"That was a good battle. You are the man who did that battle, right?" She said, catching Joel's attention.

"Oh, um, yeah. Why?" Joel replied, getting up.

"Those we're some pretty good tactics. You could learn from someone like me. After all, we both have a Garchomp." She smiled.

"Ok? And, you are?"

"My name is Cynthia. Although, most people know me as the champion of Sinnoh. Come on. Let's talk." Cynthia said, leading Joel and the others up to a villa that was previously unnoticed by them.

* * *

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	40. Chapter 33: Opelucid City Gym

"You're a great tactician. You should aim pretty high." Cynthia said, admiring Joel's strategies as he commanded Garchomp to use another attack. Joel had trusted her enough to reveal his real name, at least.

"Thanks. Why don't you try and become champion here too?" Joel replied with a smirk, concentrating on giving Garchomp more attacks to do.

"Unfortunately, I'm only legally allowed to be a champion of one region. Besides, I'm probably almost too old for adventure." Cynthia continued, hinting at something.

"Are you saying you want to travel with me? If you do, that's fine. I don't see how an extra person would do any harm, seeing as Ash wants to head south."

"Maybe I was." Cynthia smiled. After a long time of silence, she continued. "So... Are you and Latias a... thing?"

"What!? No, of course not!" Joel retorted. Thankfully, Ash and Latias had been exploring the town for most of the day, so they didn't have to face the comment from Cynthia and the embarrassment of Ash remembering it. Cynthia seemed surprised, oddly.

"You probably don't realise how close you two are to each other. It looks like you've been friends for years."

"Really?" Joel finished, and recalled Garchomp. "We should probably go and find the others. If I want to be in Opelucid in a day, we need to hurry. So, you do want to come with me, right?"

"I don't see why I shouldn't. A little bit of adventure and exploration wouldn't hurt." Cynthia replied, smiling. They left her seaside villa to go off searching for Ash and Latias.

* * *

"Ash! There you are!" Joel sighed, having finally found Ash and Latias after a few hours of searching. They had just been coming out of a small shop next to the beach that and been on earlier in the day. "I've been looking for hours." He finished. Cynthia eventually caught up with him, catching her breath.

"Hi. So, are we going now?" Ash replied. He was getting bored of looking around the little town.

"Might as well. There isn't much more here." Joel continued. There was an air of awkwardness for a few moments, but Ash broke it.

"I guess I'll see you three at the Championship!" Ash said, smiling.

"Good luck! I'm expecting to see eight badges!" Joel continued. The two shook hands, and, after another slight awkward moment, parted ways to head to their chosen destinations. They didn't realise it yet, but they were rivals now. One would succeed but another would be forced to fail.

* * *

**Four hours later, outside Opelucid City Gym**

The sky was a blazing orange by the time Joel, Cynthia and Latias finally arrived at Opelucid City. The city itself was one of the most advanced in the world - everywhere you looked there was some kind of advanced technology - worn or in building among other examples. The gym specialised in Dragon types - it was led by Drayden and Iris.

"You two can go and find a hotel or something, I guess. Unless you want to stay and watch?" Joel questioned.

"I'm pretty tired, so I might go and find a hotel." Cynthia yawned. Latias didn't say anything, so Joel assumed she wanted to stay. Joel waved goodbye to Cynthia, and he and Latias went inside the gym. They were greeted by a muscly man with a beard that seemed to resemble a Druddigon's lower jaw.

"You must be here to challenge me, no doubt." He said, stood atop a podium.

"I am indeed." Joel replied.

"Allow me to introduce myself." He continued, chuckling. " I am Drayden. I, along with my apprentice, Iris, are regarded as two of the toughest gym leaders in the world. You are?"

"Ghost." Joel chuckled back.

"So you're 'the mighty' Ghost? I wish you the best of luck in our battle." He finished, and walked down off the podium, uncrossing his arms. He was wearing grey trousers, purple suspenders and a white shirt. To finish his look, his hands were donned in a pair of purple gloves. He produced a Pokéball from a pocket, and released a Druddigon. The blue and red dragon's resemblance to Drayden's beard was uncanny.

Joel walked to the edge of the arena and released Serperior. He was hoping that her light build and fast attacks would be able to beat the raw power of Drayden's Druddigon. As with all gym battles, Joel got to strike fist as he was the challenger. Catching Drayden unexpectedly, Joel issued a command using telepathy. Serperior launched herself into the air and shot a torrent of leaves towards the red and blue dragon. The Druddigon's size meant that it didn't have time to get out of the way, and the leaves made hundreds of tiny incisions in the Pokémon's tough skin. Of stumbled backwards slightly and hissed in pain. Drayden retaliated startlingly quickly, using an outrage. The Druddigon seemed to go absolutely insane for a moment, it was thrashing about and spewing flames everywhere. Serperior was fast, but couldn't escape the flames and she fell to the ground, fainted. Eventually, Druddigon calmed down enough for Joel to at least be able to return Serperior. A second later, Samurott was on the field.

Drayden must have been expecting something other than a water type, as Druddigon shot a torrent of flames at Samurott. Thankfully, the flames did nothing to Samurott, and he and Joel replied the attack with a Hydro Pump. Druddigon stumbled backwards and fell over as the water smashed into him, but he quickly recovered, only to find Samurott's swords smash into his face and body. The giant blue and red dragon fell backwards, fainted. Drayden smiled and retrieved Druddigon.

"You're strong. But, are you strong enough?" He said cryptically, and released a Fraxure. If the next round would play out like the first, the Fraxure would definitely be stronger than it's small size made it look.

The little Pokémon ran forwards, and Samurott tried to hit it away with one of his swords, but Fraxure jumped over it and sliced at Samurott with his claws multiple time. Fraxure eventually jumped off, but he was hit in the process of doing so by Samurott's swords. He was flung into the ground, but he slowly got up. Joel and Samurott saw this window of space, and Samurott struck out again with his swords. The Fraxure was flung to the side, fainted. Drayden smiled again, and retrieved Fraxure.

"It's been a long time since I've been pinned like this. This battle isn't over yet!" He said, releasing his third Pokéball, containing a Haxorus. Maybe Joel could make this battle interesting. He retrieved Samurott and sent out Haxorus.

Drayden struck hard and fast, and his Haxorus span round and tried to slam into Joel's Haxorus with a Dragon Tail attack. Joel and Haxorus didn't have time to dodge it, so retaliated with an Iron tail. Both of the dragons impacted and were sent about halfway across the room, stumbling slightly. This was going to be a very close match. Joel had the upper hand as Haxorus recovered more quickly, and they struck out with a Giga Impact. Joel's Haxorus shot a ball of purple and orange light at Drayden's Haxorus, and it stumbled backwards and fell over. It was down, but not out. There was only a small window of space before it would be able to get back up. Joel's Haxorus shot another Giga Impact, and Drayden's Haxorus was sent spinning on the ground. It didn't get back up.

"That was... Incredible, Ghost. That was one of the best battles I've had in years. Maybe I should better my training program..." He smiled, retrieving Haxorus and walking up to Joel. Drayden pressed a _very _odd looking badge into Joel's hand. It was shaped either like a dragon's claw or a dragon's head. The back was gold, but two more layers tiered up to end in a red circle. "This is the Legend Badge. Most trainers get it as their last badge, but you're more than deserving of it to be given it now."

"Thanks." Joel replied, turning the badge over in his hands, before opening the case strapped to the underside of his Pokéball holster and inserting it into its rightful place.

By the time Joel looked up again, Drayden had left the room. Only then did Joel realise how tired he was.

"Come on, let's go and find Cynthia." Joel said to Latias.

_'I assume late night battles are taxing?' _She replied with a smile. He simply nodded back, and they left the gym to try and find Cynthia in one of the city's hotels.

* * *

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	41. Chapter 34: Dragonspiral Tower

"Come on, you two! We don't want to be behind on my schedule!" Cynthia shouted, beckoning Joel and Latias to hurry up the hill and continue west to Iccirus City. Whereas Joel battles and Latias usually watched, Cynthia wanted to see and do everything in Unova, and that was only doable because of the amount of energy she had. Joel didn't know how she did it, have enough energy to go anywhere, including through the freezing cold weather of northern Unova almost effortlessly.

The hill seemed to be going on forever. An endless climb of snow, trees and various Pokémon coming in and out of the bushes and piles of snow. Some trainers came and went every now and then, but it was mainly just Joel, Cynthia and Latias. None of Joel or Cynthia's Pokémon were particularly suited to the cold climate, so they were lucky and got to stay in the warmth of their Pokéballs.

After some more walking, the crest of the hill revealed a medium sized city that was covered in snow. Whereas the snowfall had been light on the climb, it was more like a blizzard in Iccirus. Thankfully, the coats they were all wearing meant they weren't too cold. Not wanting to stay out for too long, they went into a building with a sign on the outside that read 'Unova Region - Pokémon Fan Club.'.

"Urgh.. Warmth, at last." Cynthia said as she finally got a chance to straighten out her windswept hair. Latias did the same to hers while Joel flattened out his coat. No-one in the building had noticed them. Some people were sitting around various coffee tables discussing things, while others were on computers and some were battling with some small Pokémon. One man in a khaki suit broke through the crowd and came up to them.

"Welcome! I'm the President of the Unova Pokémon Fan Club. Can I help you?" He said eagerly.

"Uhm, we just wanted to find somewhere to stay out the cold, we aren't interrupting anything, are we?" Cynthia replied.

"Oh, no, no, no. You three are quite welcome here. Who are you?"

"I'm Ghost, and this is Cynthia and... Tia." Joel said, quickly thinking of a temporary name for Latias. The man's eyes seemed to widen in confusion and surprise.

"Wait... Do you mean; _the _Cynthia and _the _Ghost?" He replied on confusion and surprise. He must've bene heard by someone else, though, as a stout man in glasses and a shirt ran forward, breathing heavily.

"Ohmygod, are you really the champion of Sinnoh?" He cried happily. He was pushed backwards and to the side by the President.

"Heh.. Um, don't worry about Melvin, he's just... obsessed... with trainers." The President said, embarrassedd. "I assume you want to go to the gym? Unfortunately it's closed today because of a gas leak. It should be open again tomorrow."

"Thanks. Do you know a place where we could stay?" Cynthia replied.

"There's a hotel across the street." The President finished, twiddling his thumbs. The group nodded and turned to leave. Secretly, he hoped they would come back later, but the looks on their faces made him doubt that.

* * *

**Two Hours Later**

Cynthia and Latias had been booking the hotel rooms while Joel decided to sneak off and explore the snowy forests surrounding Iccirus City. The icy cold air was strangely calming - Joel always found he preferred winter to summer.

After some time, he came to a large, foggy lake. The ends of it stretched beyond his vision. At the centre of the lake was they most interesting part - a collection of towers varying in size grew up from the water. A stone path cut through the lake to lead into the centre tower. Out of curiosity, he headed up the walkway and into the tower's vast interior. Vast was an understatement - there were no floors as such, they had either collapsed years ago or had never existed entirely, as a single spiral staircase stretched from the bottom to the top. He began cautiously climbing the dusty stone steps. Why was this tower here? What was at the top?

He finally broke through to the top level and the first thing he saw was the view. It was worth coming up here; the snow and forest stretched for what seemed like miles, only to be cut off by mountains. He was interrupted by a creak from the stone behind him. He turned to see Zekrom standing there. He must've not been expecting Joel to turn around, as he stopped dead in his tracks, his electric turbine tail glowing blue.

"Hey there, Zekrom. Can I... help you with anything?" Joel said, wondering what the electric dragon wanted. Instead of replying with speech, Zekrom released a barrage of electricity towards Joel. He nimbly transformed and dodged them.

'What the hell was that for?' Joel said angrily. Once again, Zekrom didn't reply, and released another assault. Some of the bolts caught Joel this time, and he hit the ground, temporarily paralysed. 'The fuck at you doing!?' He shouted at Zekrom, who seemed too caught up in rage to notice Joel's shouts.

He quickly pulled himself up off the ground just before Zekrom's foot smashed into where he was lying a second ago. Joel shot multiple Luster Purges in retaliation. A few of them hit Zekrom as black body, and he stumbled backwards. What the hell did the dragon want? Then it hit Joel. Was he still worked up about him actually succeeding in Arceus' task for him? Zekrom tried to not show it at the time, but it was obvious he was pissed for a few days afterwards. That still didn't answer the question as to why he was still angry, though. Joel shot another Luster Purge, but instead of attacking, Zekrom somehow reflected the attack back with twice the speed, and Joel's own attack but him right in the face. He didn't previously know how strong he was, but from how much his face hurt, he knew he was very. He fell backwards and Zekrom didn't take his chances this time. He rushed at Joel and had him pinned down with his legs, his much larger mass making escape impossible. Zekrom was about to release a charge from his mouth, but he was stopped by a voice from the other side of the tower.

'Zekrom? What's going on?' Said the voice. The owner of the voice was put of Joelst field of view, but Zekrom saw who it was a quickly bolted off the tower, and he dissapeared by flying down into the forest. The voice belonged to Cobalion. When he saw Joel, he rushed to his side.

"Are you alright?" He said worriedly, seeing if Joel was wounded.

"Urgh... I'm fine, Cobalion. What was that about?"

"I don't know. I thought Zekrom was over this now, but... obviously not. Come with me, if there's anything wrong with you then you should go to the hospital." Cobalion said, turning away. Joel was confused for a moment; he was a legendary Pokémon, he couldn't just go walking into town. Cobalion must've sensed his confusion, and chuckled. "You're not the only legendary that can transform." He smirked, and transformed into a man who looked like he was in his late twenties. He had a blue jacket on, with some light blue jeans and black shoes.

"Well, today's been eventful..." Joel said to himself.

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